Saki :The beginning of an End
by Fragment of ring
Summary: During the 71st National mahjong Tournament , A monster Awakened. Or is she really? This are stories of Saki's awakening as saw by the ones who were just in front of her. The Meaning of the last hand in the first chapter are on my Profile.
1. Chapter 1

Here is a little Saki one-shot that has been in my head for some time and stopped me from writing MPiSS

Please give me your impression as there are other story in my head waiting to be written.

(For those who read it on the 10/02/2013 I Made a little change on Saki last Yaku)

Disclaimer :I do not own Saki and its characters ,they belong to Ritz Kobayashi

* * *

**Saki/The beginning of an End**

**The end of the beginning**

Four girls seated at a table , all the projectors on them .For each of them it's the second time , the first time being only one hour ago.

Each of them plucked one of the four tiles before them.

...

"It's starting , The second hanchan of the captain's match , The Grand finale of this 71st Inter-High mahjong tournament .This is the beginning of the End . I can feel the tension even here in the cabin , those girls must be about to explode . Kokaji-pro how was it for you 20 years ago?"

"It's certainly a lot of pressure , all the hope of your teammates and friends back home on your back , it can be crushing , ..., And it was only ten-year ago Kyouko-chan , you know it"

"Yes , and it seem that it was the case of the captain of Kiyosumi high in the first hanchan , she could almost do nothing as her points withered away , they fell from first place to dead last and now have a 50 000 gap to third place Achiga"

"It seems at first glance yes , but I think it was something else , and the match is far from its end , Miyanaga-san has proven that she can come back from what look like a desperate situation yesterday.

There is something in her that seem different too , from her demeanor , at this point I think the match is still open"

"You are the pro here so I will believe in your 20 years of experience. But it will be hard with the other player at the table "

"Each of them are first timers in this tournament and want to mark their name in it , And each of them has been qualified as a monster by fellow players and professionals alike"

"You also said that Ooshi's 'Dead-end' Seem to have strengthened since the Semi-final"

"Yes , it must be an effect of it being blocked multiple time , mainly by Takakamo-san, on her match two-day ago"

"In fact this player seems to have a knack to block others' move, and her energy reminds me of someone , but I can't find who , do you have an Idea Kokaji-san?"

"... Yeah … she remind me of you , (I plain her friend for that) But let's stop here and focus on the starting match , Ooshi-san will be the first dealer, follow by Myeong Fa-san , Miyanaga-san and lastly Takakamo-san ."

…

And it started, Awai ran the dice and drew her tiles .Like usual she was already in tempai , But something was strange about this hand , and not only about this hand . Something was strange since they had entered the room , like an extra pressure .

That alone should have sufficed for her to know something terrible was about to happen since she did never once felt that kind of pressure , it was just not her style .

She also saw sweat ran on the Achiga's girl face , and her confident air seemed a little diminished. Maybe being third , with 40 000 behind her at that time of the game, was starting to make her nervous. But it wasn't how that girl was , she had seen it at the end of their game two-day ago .

So what? Was she also feeling the wrongness that Awai was currently feeling?

Awai shook her head , No she shouldn't lose her confidence now , she was ahead and she was a 100 grade genius , those girls had absolutely no chance against her.

She finally chose her course of action , she would not falter "Richi"

The moment she declared it, she felt an all too familiar sensation running on her back , it wasn't exactly the same but there was no doubt . As the two other players looked their backs , feeling what she knew was the Shoumakyou looking at their very soul , Awai looked at the one she knew was the origin, understanding finally where that wrongness from earlier came from.

_"Miyanaga Saki , So Sumire was right , you really are Teru Onee-sama's sister , What were you hiding earlier by holding back , but I will not fall back , not now, I will make Shiraitodai the three-times champion"_

The game continued , the first corner , came , then the second , and then the third. No one had made a call apart from Awai self-Kan so the flow of the game hasn't changed , but the winning tiles hadn't come.

"Tempai" Awai declared showing the rest of her and. In the end , No one won the first east hand.

"No-ten" That was the voice of Shizuno and Fa but there was one voice lacking. It couldn't be .

"tempai" but yes it was. Saki declared her tempai in a whisper but it was here .

When Awai saw the tiles in Saki hand her heart skipped a beat , there , and she could swear that she wasn't the only one as the other two players surely did the same.

In Saki's hand was each tile that she needed to win , here for everyone to see.

Awai was so shocked that she nearly forgot to take the points that Shizuno gave her for the tempai.

…

After taking some seconds to collect herself , Awai pushed the button for the dices ,

and immediately she felt herself suffocating for seconds .

When she looked around , Shizuno had thrown back her chair , like she had felt something coming her way ; and Fa had her hand on her mouth and the face as white as her hair.

As for Saki her expression hadn't changed at all since the start of the game , that is to say her face was still shrouded in the shadow of her hair , none of her eyes reflecting the light.

When everyone had calm-down the game started anew , but the same question was on everyone's face .In the whole building , there were only three persons that knew what had happened, and they all bore a smile bordering madness , yet no one saw it , still feeling the shock.

When her hand was dealt Awai saw something that had never happened to her. She was 5 tiles away from tempai , something that shouldn't happen to her but to her foes.

She still played , seeing the interrogation in the two other eyes when she didn't declare her trademark double-Richi.

But she still was in for another shock when Saki dealt away her first tile , turning it horizontally.

"double-richi" once more the voice was but a whisper , freezing the air around the table.

Later; Awai would say that this time it was not the score that Saki had set to +/- 0 but the temperature of the room as she could see the breath of the judge becoming little cloudy.

And it wasn't to end here , as even if Saki didn't declared at the corner like she feared, no one could touch tempai till the very end , even Shizuno called two chi, valiantly fighting to come out of her third place.

But destiny still came to take what was hers. On the second to last draw of the hand Saki finally Made her real move.

"kan" It was still that horrifying whisper , like the voice of a ghost in the night . Her and was like a blur when she took the Rinshan from her domain.

She tapped it against the corner of the table and the sentence came . And this time the voice was clear , too much so.

"Double-Ricchi , Tsumo , Sha, Rinchan-Kaihou , Haitei-Raoyue" And for the first time since the start of the hanchan Awai saw the left eye of Saki , the right still hide under her bangs, And what she saw was the Absolute fire of purgatory itself , Burning without mercy. "2100/4100"

…

"... That was a very strange start that we saw here , right Kokaji-pro ? Was it what you were saying when you said Miyanaga-san' demeanor had changed?"

"Yes … Something like that , But I must admit I am really surprised , I can feel the pressure she is building even now. In all my life as a player I felt that kind of thing only once."

"Only once in ten years , since ten-year ago? I am curious when it could have been but let go back to the play. We are now in the east second's hand , The dealer is now Choe' Myeong Fa But she seems to have some trouble deciding what to do."

…

Choe couldn't comprehend what was happening.

First, she wasn't able to reach tempai twice before the end ,

Then even Awai had been unable to declare Richi before the end ,

After that , Takamamo , who seemed to unconsciously go around the others' abilities, had still been directly architect to Miyanaga's win like a puppet ,

There were also those stranges impressions since the start of the game , First like someone had looked deep in her mind , and later there was that ill feeling , as if the air had become stale.

And now that .It was her turn as a dealer and even so she was singing to the wind , it refused to change its direction and wouldn't come her way. It was like she was trapped somewhere the air didn't reach , like in a prison under-water.

It was the 15 turn and still no Wind , nor tempai for that matter , And the worst was that each of her tiles looked like dangerous tiles . She finally discarded the lone hatsu at the edge of her hand , anyone could call it but it would at least not be a Kan as Takamamo's last discard was an other hatsu. And it was the tile that would be the hardest to build from.

"pon" Again ,That breath that came from the depth of the afterworld , each time Miyanaga made a call ,she felt a chill ran down her spin.

The turn after Choe knew it was the end as she drew an east , Her third east of the hand , she had now a Yaku ,in the form of a double-East.

She should have been happy but she knew it was just a joke of destiny. She threw her tile and Miyanaga turn came.

"Kan" That one was not a whisper , It was a Kan of haku. And once more Choe saw Miyanaga extend her hand in that so many time practiced gesture and draw from the tile that was hers.

"Kan" And this time it would not be alone to come to her owner ,as a second was drawn from a 1dot Kan.

"Kan" Because there were to be three as the mistress of the graveyard had decided so, calling the last from a Kan of Nan ; stating to Choe that this girl was the one to command the wind .

"tsumo : Rinshan-Kaihou, Nan , Haku , Hatsu , Shou-san-Gen , Honrontou , Toi-toi , San-kan-Tsu" It was like the incantation made by a Priestess of old-time. "San-Baiman 6000/12000"When the price came Choe knew in her heart that the three of them were just first stage spectators a ceremony .

_It never was a game Right?_

She looked up to give Miyanaga her points and saw her smile , It was the most gleeful smile she had ever seen, it was also the strangest : at the same time beautiful beyond compare and With the creepiness of a mad woman .

_Even if I am just to be a puppet in this play , I will at least play my part to my very best . _

…

"Once more a strange win , but more in the norm for Miyanaga-san , What was strange this time was the hand of the other player"

"What do you mean Sukoya ?I didn't see anything."

" There were two things . First , like the time before , no one could reach tempai apart from Miyanaga-san, The second is that everyone's hands were almost the same , going to the point of discarding a dragon just before completing their only set , and that set being their sit wind."

"Are you sure , I didn't see that , apart for the win thing that I can remember."

"The difference was in their respective style , making them discard different tiles , But apart from Ooshi-san gets the Chun , while the two others got an Hastu the draw where the same, That kind of thing should not happen."

"If it's true there are really some strange force at work here. I don't see how it could become even more strange in fact"

"Don't say that Kyouko-chan , or we will see it , look it as already started"

...

Shizuno knew from long ago about strange things happening in mahjong , In fact three of her best friends had those so-called Abilities . And she had seen some even weirder events happening during the course of the 71st inter-High national tournament and had even trained to counteract some of them .

Miyanaga Saki was just supposed to be one of them , fiercer than most of the others but still, there were always fails as long as you continue to push on. She had proven it in the first hanchan , even if she had ended up third , it was better than the fourth place they were before she started .

She had managed to go from 75300 to 95000 in a hanchan against those three monsters and she wanted to continue .

As long as she continued she could win that was what she believed , and thank to Harue's advise and her spirit she had done well till now .

But then in the second hanchan everything had changed , she had not managed to be tempai even once and had even helped Miyanaga-san up her score while trying to reach it .

It was only east 3 , Miyanaga-san first dealership , but Shizuno was feeling like it was just a bad new .

Since they had entered the room a feeling, alien to her, had made its way into her heart .Only now she could recognize it , it was the same thing she had seen on Kuro's face when she had first faced Miyanaga Teru .

What she was feeling now was despair.

It was a first time for her , not even facing Amae Koromo had she felt it .

Like against Koromo , it was like she was sinking more and more has the game advance, but this time there was no stepping stone to get out . She and the two other were drained to the depth of the abyss .

They could no longer see where was up and where was down so , like people drowning , They had call left and right , trying to at least stop Miyanaga-san dealership , but even with that she wasn't in tempai for any actual hand , and she doubts the others were any better seeing their faces .

It was when the second to last turn came that she understood they had made a fatal error , But she could do nothing as Saki turned the key of their destiny .

"Richi"

Shizuno could swear she had heard a thunderclap when Saki had declared it .

When she discarded the useless tile that came after , she felt like her feet finally touched the floor. Awai and Choe had most likely felt the same when they discarded their draw because they did the same thing as her . They , almost religiously , looked at Saki , her right eye finally showing .

There was something almost otherworldly in the Girl's expression Shizuno noted , as she heard her saying the word that same girl had said so many times , like a mantra .

.

"Kan"

And , observing what she had come to think as a sacred ritual , and knowing two other would come , she saw the scenery change .

She knew not if it was an illusion but here she was , with Awai and Choe , prisoner under the sea. Looking up they saw the Sun , and next to it the Moon .

.

"Kan"

They were far but they still saw them has they fused in a single aster for an instant. It was an eclipse , beautiful and scary .

.

"Kan"

And under the ecliptic aster was a mountain, towering everything that wasn't the two aster now one .

And even here , under the water , In the depth of the abyss , they could guess something atop the tall mass .

.

"Tsumo Rinshan-Kaihou"

Blooming there was a single flower ,the mountain only the throne for her to reign from. And Shizuno realized that the asters were there only to give her light . And the water came from the sea they were in .

"Richi ,Tsumo ,Chinitsuu ,San-an-kou ,San-kan-tsu, Rinshan-Kaihou ,Haitei Raoyue"

Just before the illusion stopped they looked at the floor and saw that what they took for the floor was in fact the flower root draining nutriment from the victim of the sea. It was a world made for the flower , and only her .

"16 000 all"

…

"Ouch that hurt ,I didn't think your not-sister could be that harsh when driven in a corner"

"Sumire you can stop calling her my not-sister now"

"You finally admit she is your sister? I thought that day would never come"

Sumire turned her head to look at her captain , But what she saw wasn't what she expected .

It was a saw she had never seen nor hoped to see. Miyanaga Teru was smiling with a genuine smile , something beautiful and scary , bordering the smile of a mad woman

"Why are you smiling like that , we are loosing here" There weren't even the tone of a question in her voice , such was her shock .

"Because 'She ' is finally back of course" Teru still answered .

".. Y-your sister...?"

"Of course , who else ?

"I see disbelief in you , do you want to know why I call her my sister only now perhaps?"

"...y-yes"

"Do you believe Gods and humans can be sibling?"

Sumire had nothing to say, Not because she could not understand but because she was finally understanding so much thing that didn't make sense before.

Teru did not wait for her answer and continued

"I do not . I know they can't . And that's why I am smiling , because at last , After all those year , My-Dear-Little-Sister is back"

…

Long after , Sumire still didn't regret stopping the conversation here as she could still hear the squee that the goddess emitted at the mention of her sister winning yet another hand.

* * *

Omake:

At the end of the game Haramura Nodoka was taken to the hospital in a desirious state and with a high fever. It was only the gravest case of a group also including Saki three opponents.

Nine months later Haramura Nodoka , still a virgin, Gave birth to a little girl .It was a total mystery as the girl had genetically two mothers , Nodoka herself and the infamous Miyanaga Saki, and as no abortion's attempt asked by the parent of the girl worked.

Scientists still ask sometime to study her as it could help to make progress for IPS but the parent and family refuse vehemently. And you do not want a Miyanaga mad at you. 

* * *

By the way Saki's last hand is first a kan of 2dot () , Then a Kan of 1 dot () A kan of 9 Dot () A set of 345 () And a pair of 5dot(,)

Each () has a meaning

Thank You for reading

Fragment of Ring


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki , Its Character or its Music.

Author's Notes

After three weeks there was no one who commented on the three different parts of the first chapter being themed after the three Music themes for Saki when she plays. So here I make a chapter to tell it.

Awai part : 圧倒的な力を目前として **( Overwhelming Force Comes)**

Choe part: 神か悪魔か **(Demon or God?)**

Shizuno part: 神の領域 **(Realm of God)**

* * *

**Saki/The beginning of an End**

**An Individual Start**

Three girls were already in the room, in the place destiny had chosen for them. All were waiting for the fourth player to enter and take the last place.

Deep inside each none knew if they should feel eager or terrified . For the one they had to face was the one , the player who won the team tournament by putting each of her foe down 0 before the South game could start. Their first match final stage was to be against 'Her' and they knew it would be the hardest fight of their life. So they waited to fight their destiny

And Miyanaga Saki came.

The door opened and the air froze. They all had seen that game and felt the shock wave before the rampage start. But none of them would give up here without a fight. Even in front of that monster.

Saki took the last tile on the table and sat. For her it was just a formality on the road.

Looking into the face of her opponents she smiled , they were tense , but none of them had thrown in the towel yet ; maybe this could be a good game.

"Good game "

With those words , the slaughter started.

* * *

Sera draw had put her first dealer. That was to say , if Hiroko was right, that she had a chance to strike first , but also would be the first victim if she missed.

Miyanaga Saki had shown what was believed to be her full power only once , during the last 'Renchan' of the team tournament , and had toned down since then , still winning but less shockingly. And that's part of Sera's worry. It meant that the girl could become ruthless at a moment's notice.

An other thing that worried her was the state that had ended up her three foes of that day .

The three of them had not been able to go out of their sit without the help of the medic. After the final, Sera had crossed path with Choe and heard a part of her delirious rumble . She was talking about "être prisonnière des mers" and "être incapable d'atteindre la fleur" and other things that she couldn't understand because of her poor french but was obviously other traumatic vision .

What had really happened on that table was mysterious and she didn't want to suffer the same fate.

The Bell rang , getting Sera out of her thought. And the game started.

She pushed the dice , and instantly felt the need to puke so much the pressure became crushing.

_'What is that, The match didn't even start and I already feel like I am loosing'_

Sera sat back and carefully took her tiles.

When she finished. She had one of her worse starting hands ever , 7 away from tempai with no other honor that one of each wind she didn't need. She discarded one of them, and looked up .

"pon"The whisper sent chills down her spin, like the girl had called directly to her soul.

But Sera chose to ignore it , She had to put her best in that fight. Her next draw complete one of her straight and she threw an other wind .

"Pon" Once again it came from the one in front of her , but with for insistence. This time Sera looked at the face of her foe, And her eyes were drawn to Saki right left eye.

In it she didn't see the fire , But an already brewing tempest , waiting to be unleashed.

Sera then looked at Saki discard and saw there were The discard of someone going for an honor hand.

_'So she is going for that type of hand so soon in the match , She sure is confident , but I won't make it easy.'_

She discarded a tile from her then lone set . As the game continued , she finally managed to get to tempai for a Chanta II-peiko , waiting on a South to complete it. The two other players seem to also be close to completing their but showed signs of not be in tempai yet , Her only real trouble was Saki , And the fact that she knew the girl had at least two of her winning tile. She wouldn't fold either .

The 1st east was close to an end , If she couldn't win she'd at least make it a draw .And , after one call on the Chun from Fukuji , the Haitei would be hers , putting another treat on the side.

But it was not to be enough to stop the storm.

"Ron" It was Miyanaga's voice " Toi-toi ,Honitsu ,Honronto , Sha,Ton , Houtei ,2 Dora; 24 000 ,San-Baiman"

* * *

"_Jindai no Megami-Cha~an. Came Here Please. I Wa~ant To Play A Little With You."_

It was the last word Komaki heard of the game before falling asleep.

* * *

Mihoko shouldn't have passed so much time with Hisa. Her bad luck was starting to rub on her. How else had she ended up in a match against Saki and Jindai for the first match of the final phase. And with the Miko entering her awaken state just now , she knew it would not go well for her.

She knew Saki was a monster far before everyone at the table here , But what she had shown those last days far exceeded her experience. Eguchi-san had already been hit hard on the first turn, and the feeling of the Shoumakyou was still on her.

They were already deep in the second east , But her hand couldn't come together still 3 away from tempai. She already had bad starts , but that one was the worst ever.

On the plus side. Saki was not in tempai yet, it was even like she wasn't trying to get it, making and unmaking her hand.

Eguchi Sera was putting together a hand that looked quite big, but she could still read it well enough.

The real problem now was Jindai, Since her awakening the game hadn't seen a trace of her typical one suite hand. She could see every type of tiles in her discard , There wasn't any tell as for the composition of her hand bar that she wasn't using the honor.

So with two monsters doing things that she couldn't understand and another veteran player going forward, Mihoko decided to fold.

And in doing so she ended up playing in Jindai's hand two turn latter , when she discarded a 9wan playing in a pair wait.

Saki had discarded the same the turn before and the wan was the tiles that had been discarded the most and looked the safer. That had been her error.

"Ron ,Baiman . Chinitsu, Ryan-peikou 2Dora, 24 000.

While giving her point to Jindai .She once again saw Saki smile flared up. The Smile she had seen that day on the screen of the Kiyosumi team-room just before Nodoka was struck by fever. That sickeningly beautiful smile.

_'I now know your suffering, Kana '_

* * *

Jindai knew what a goddess was like. And the Goddess that was currently possessing her knew it even more. The 'girl' to her left was one ,that it was no doubt. But she couldn't see her identity. She felt like she should know but she couldn't.

She had felt a similar aura last year ,but she had come out on her own then . Because it was her turn to help their Miko

The 'girl' had called to her , force her awakening . She was the strongest Goddess out of her sisters and she had still been forced out. And that worried her , for that alone meant that Miyanaga Saki was a goddess higher in the hierarchy than her , and they were few .

So who was it? Who was that other Goddess that could call out to her ?. How and why did she have a body?

All those questions tormented here has the third east, Miyanaga's dealership, Continued.

Jindai and Miyanaga Saki were tied, 49 000 each , and the two others were reduced to 1000 each, all they had to do was to strike one of the two , or possibly both via a tsumo , and it would be a victory.

But the goddesses didn't roll that way , And she wanted to show her power.

She already had managed to win a San-Baiman but she wanted to strike them all with her favorite Yakuman. So she had called on her power and now , the Nine gates of wan were waiting in front of her. Easy to read , but not easy to dodge not without giving up on a tempai and the two humans were not in a place where they could afford it.

It had taken her 10 turns to get it , still struck by whatever power Miyanaga Saki had. But next turn she would get it.

That's what she believed.

But in the next turn what she got was a 1 Dot

"Moon...sorry, I don't need you now so go away ."

"Kan"

Saki was the one to make the call, her first Kan of the game.

The Goddess looked at her and saw , The aura was now unleashing and she started to understand.

_'From the moonlight you now should know '_

_._

"Kan"

There was a meaning to her call end she was hearing them clearly.

_'In front of you is death and life' _

That was the meaning of the Kan of West

_._

And the message didn't end there. For a Kan of White dragon came next

"Kan"

_'I am now back and I will glow'_

_._

"Kan"

_'So you should end pour pity strife'_

The message seemed to end here with a Kan of 1 bamboo.

_._

A total silence came down the hall.

"Rinshan-Kaiho"only cut when Saki announced her win,

Revealing her 5dot .And with it the sentence

'_I am your better ,_

_._

And the last tile , The red 5dot , falls itself

"Suu-Kan-Suu 48000"

_I am The Flower'_

And the goddesses of the lost temple would abide, for their master had finally talked.

* * *

Review answer:

For those that asked for the **Unnatural** combination, of Rinshan and Haitei , here is the explanation.

I know Rinshan and Haitei can't normally be I am using The fact that the rule of that year Tournament are strange to make possible things that shouldn't be.

The Haitei is the last Tile to draw in the game, (Generally it means the last one of the live wall) .But in this case a man is declared on the before last draw, Making the Rinshan the last it is now the Haitei .

Fragment of Ring


	3. Chapter 3

Hello. Yes I am still working on this little project while trying to pass that writing block in PMiSS. I know what I will write for the National arc and even the individual one but the current was the part I didn't really know how I would make the matchup so am trying to come up with on that regional final should go.

I am also working on another project but it doesn't have anything to do with Saki so I won't talk about it here.

Now that I said what I wanted here it comes the third chapter of that little fantasy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki

* * *

**Saki/the beginning of an End**

**A Midday reflection**

Hatsumi was stressed it was not often that she felt like that but there she had reason to be.

During the first match this morning her Princess and Rise had lost, making her the last Kyushu's representative without a loss. If it had been only that she might have been okay but they had lost both to a Miyanaga, and after their testimony she was sure those two were related somehow.

And now she had to go against one of those two, Miyanaga Teru, the current champion who had beaten Jindai last year. And yet she knew she was lucky. She didn't have to go against the other one, Miyanaga Saki.

Her own match not being at the same time she had seen the game where she had beaten her princess and had felt her presence when the strongest of the nine goddesses had prematurely awoken. And yet it hadn't suffice.

It would have never suffice from the own word of that same goddesses that had , for the first time, used the princess' body to talk to them after the match.

Jindai spirit had suffered too much stress and she couldn't wake up for some times so she had used the forced takeover of the body to go back to their room.

When she had got to them she seemed shell shock and before blacking-out she had just said one mysterious thing.

_"What was she doing here? I never had a chance but how could someones like her managed to be here too"_

How could the strongest goddess of their temple could be afraid of a normal human? Or was she really?

She had after all easily beaten Kasumi and it was before that strange change she had got during the team's final.

Hatsumi still remembered that game. That ill sensation just before the girl's first win that hadn't stopped till the end of it. And that strange vision she , Jindai , Kasumi and even Rise who was looking the match from a hotel farther in the city, all had for a mere second. She had even heard that some player had got to head to the hospital after that due to a high fever.

Some might ask why she was stressing over something provoked by Saki when she was facing Teru but the answer was easy. They were both obviously linked together and she also had changed.

Teru had always been a strong player from the record but in the game she had played since her team's lost in the final she seemed fiercer. Starting her winning streak with nearly limit hand or going quicker into them.

There was also the raw pressure that haunted the venue since that day that want to go. On almost every face you could see signs of a loss of sleep even so say probably slept enough for a normal day.

It was just that there wasn't a normal day as the spirit were even more noticeable to her that they usually were.

They were even intruding on space normally void of spiritual presence.

Hatsumi had talked about it with her friends but they were likewise lost about it, all they understood was that the zone where the tournament was taking place was becoming spiritually active, and that it might have something to do with The Miyanaga girls.

When the time for her to face Teru finally came Hatsumi just prayed that nothing too bad was coming. Maybe she could even get some explanation during the match.

* * *

Hisa was concerned. Something in one of her players was strange and she was worried about it

Yes, they had won the team tournament almost two weeks ago, and that made her truly ecstatic. After all it had always been her dream and her team mated had granted it to her, and for that she would always be thankful.

But she was worried that Saki had somehow paid a price for that. And as her sempai she felt responsible.

Since that day Saki felt a little distant of them somehow, not that she was less talkative or less energetic no. It was even the contrary. But the already mysterious girl seemed to have gained a whole level in it during that match and now even people like Nodoka who didn't believe it that sort of thing were forced to feel it.

Talking about Nodoka the girl was also worrying her as she seemed to take fever each time she was close to Saki or when that last was playing a little seriously like that morning.

It was to the point that she had to convince the pinkette to take a full bottle of cold water everywhere.

And thinking about that morning's match took her to her last worry .

This morning Mihoko had played against Saki and since then, Well , lets just say that the girl didn't even remembered which eyes to close and was often caught with only her blue eyes open.

Hisa had seen the match, and she could admit that even she would have got out shocked from it. And Mihoko was a fragile girl .

She wasn't against being cuddled by the cute blonde girl but she wasn't even able to go around without being with her or Kana and had already forfeited for her second chance match.

It was how much Saki raw presence had changed, everyone was upset somehow by her mere presence , like they were of Teru and to some extent Koromo during a full moon.

Even Yuuki hesitated to make her silly joke in Saki's presence. She still did them taught, and Hisa was thankful for that too.

Hisa was also starting to notice the pressure that was all around the building. At first she had thought it was the normal pressure of the Individual national tournament but when she had seen Hiroe with a tired face she knew that something was off. The Ace of Himematsu was always full of energy but now she had the same look that Miyamori's Vanguard had everyday.

Those with the fact that Saki's three opponents had ended up in hospital for a few hours like Teru's had been last year, and even this year if she took Onjouji into account, meant that in all likelihood They were responsible somehow.

She had to talk to Saki about it to be sure, where was that girl again?

"Ueno-san" the girl on her laps purred.

"I already told you you can call me Hisa" She answered looking into her blue eye. "

"Ha , yes... sorry...eh Hisa?" Mihoko replied shyly

"Don't worry , so what do you want?" She answered , smiling.

"Could you caress me lighter, maybe it's because you are worried but it hurt a little" She answered stroking her forehead

"Oh sorry, do you want me to stop?" Hisa asked retiring her hand from Mihoko hair.

Mihoko caught her hand and put it back on her chin" No please, continue to just do it lightly" She kissed her her middle finger before putting her head back on Hisa's laps, Making Hisa blush."

"OH , ok" She twirled Mihoko hair between her finger. _"I can probably wait a little before talking to Saki."_

* * *

When was the last time she had felt like this she couldn't remember, but it felt good and as the days passed it felt more and more natural.

It had started during the pause during the two hanchan of the final.

**Flash***

She was loosing and loosing badly. She had never been so behind in a match not even against her sister.

Beating each of them separately would have been easy for the her then but their ability and skill combined was totally paralyzing her. But even that wasn't the full reason she could not win. She was reminiscing image and word of her past, when all her family lived together until _she_ had her accident.

...

_She_ had been the true reason she had stopped playing so hard in the past . She didn't know how but it had been during a play between _her, _Saki , Teru and a fourth girl that she couldn't remember apart from the fact she was also one of her cousins.

They were in a hospital because _she_ had a weak body but Saki had still decided to go all out. And like always when one of them went like that , there was a reaction.

This time it had been a Fire, burning the hospital to the ground. It had surprised Saki because the fire had never been one of her specialties.

They had run for their life, putting her in a wheelchair and fleeing as quickly as they could but it hadn't been enough . The lift didn't work so they had to try the stair, there she stumbled and accidentally pushed the wheelchair down. They manage to get_ her_ out but _her_ breath was faint only managing to say one thing before diving into a comatose state, a thing she hadn't heard.

When the rescue finally came they managed to save her life but since then _she_ had never awoken.

Saki wasn't a normal girl but she was still a child and so, like a lot of children that age she had shut down those memories. But with it she had shut down something else do be sure it won't happen ever again.

...

And now she needed those, and she could feel them just here, but she lacked the will to take them.

Then the pause during the hanchan came and she got out. She didn't want to see anyone at that moment but still someone found her.

Amae Koromo.

Her first true challenge since she had gone back to playing that game.

She only said one thing but it was what she needed to hear.

"So, the Flower can't bloom in those harsh conditions?"

Then it came back to her. Maybe it was because Koromo looked a lot like _her_ but she finally understood what _she _had said that day.

_"Your game is the most beautiful of all Saki , so don't let anyone stop you from blooming"_

It had been her, it didn't make it less tragic but it hadn't been Saki's fault and that was what count now. Because it meant there wasn't any reason for her to hold back.

Worse if she continue she would once more lose a friend and likely lose every chance to bond back with Teru.

"They wouldn't want me to hold back again, Thank you Koromo-san." She said that before going back to the central room, focusing on that part of herself that had disappeared so long ago.

She just had the time to catch Koromo's smile before she was in the room once again "that is more like you".

***Flash end**

Koromo had been right , it was more like her, and when the match eventually ended in her victory she had felt more herself that she had ever felt in those last eight years. But she wasn't full yet.

She had taken back another piece of herself when she had faced that Miko and her inner goddess. She had felt them moment she had seated ans knew the strongest wasn't the one in control.

It wouldn't have been fun if her adversaries weren't doing their most so she had called her.

The goddess had been surprised to see her but she still came to play with her.

And so Saki had been able to push herself once more, communicating her will threw the game like she had done so much when she was young. And now that she thought about it has also done sometime when she was playing her most since she had started playing again.

Still Saki didn't understand her true nature, and still felt she wasn't like she should have been. But there was one person that knew it and she would ask her when she faced her next.

* * *

Please review.

Fragment of Ring


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the fourth chapter, I hope you enjoy it. The next Chapter to go out should be "Missing Power". Or maybe "A Garden under the Moon" if I don't get inspired enough to end "Missing power" before I get around to write its next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki.

* * *

**Saki/the beginning of an End**

**(Eastern) Dream of a midsummer night**

All in all Teru's day had been a bad one.

More accurately it had been a boring one, she was almost tented to be second in her next match to end up against Saki earlier. But no, she wouldn't do that, It was those types of things that had driven them apart the first time. Well, that and the death of a friend but that was beside the point.

And she wouldn't accept anyone getting the best of her before she had met her sister in the final, just like she wouldn't accept any lost on Saki's part. Not that there was any risk of it happening with what there were able to.

Still that match had been really boring, with only 1,25 of a valuable opponent as that level of the competition. The 1 corresponded to the Arakawa girl who had gotten second place last year. Among the "human" she was the only that had ever given her some measure of challenge, but in this match she had not been helped by whom the others opponents were. A good thing that Arakawa had still ended-up 2nd, meaning she would probably face Saki in two days.

The saw of her going against her Sister promised to be an amazing one, in every sense of the term.

The 0.25 , the little Miko whose name she didn't remember was only interesting on the north wind, to spice thing up Teru had made it so She was East when the Miko was north but even that had not been enough to cheat her bore.

The last one was a puny girl whose only redeeming feature was a funny hairdo with a drill on the side. It had been really hilarious to see it flying in the wind created by her power.

An other good thing was that they started the Three hanchan games tomorrow meaning more time to play with fun opponent, like that Jindai girl and the "minor" goddesses that resided inside her

In all honesty they were not minor in the absolute, at least not the stronger ones, but they were compared to herself and Saki. She had played against her last but had chosen to stay hidden about her nature. Saki had already appeared to them so the fun road would be to make them freak out even more.

They were their servants after all.

It reminded her that this year the final would be played in five hanchan, another reason to want to play there with her Sister. What a wonderful reunion it would make. She was overcome with joy and impatience at thinking all those things she had to show to her, and all those thong her sister would probably show her.

She had to be sure the other two opponents could hang the road too or it would be too short.

Hum. Maybe she would train their 'servant' a little tomorrow to make sure she could. You never knew, in the case there were not any other worthy grinned as she thought about what she could do, it would make a great present for Saki.

Well today had perhaps been boring, But tomorrow and the days after promised eventful moments. Teru couldn't wait to be tomorrow.

Why didn't she have any control over time?

"Oh yes" Teru slapped her forehead. She remembered was because they had toyed a little too much with it when they were still together. They're such thing as too much fast forward. Even so, Those had been enjoyable centuries, She wondered if Saki had recalled them. She supposed it was still too early after her awakening.

Still that day would come , and with each day her Sister was getting more and more "full" till the day the process would be complete. And with the excitation she must be getting from that tournament it would come early, maybe even during their match.

Teru looked at the Moon from her bedroom and thought. Yes, the time would come, but for now she had to wait. And the best way she knew to wait was to dream.

On those thoughts, a goddess fell asleep.

* * *

That night, some professional Players , mainly the ones up for the match comment but also some scouting ones for this year's Word's Junior Tournament, were reunited in a restaurant.

The main reason was of course to distract before the "heavy work" start tomorrow. With the individual entering its final stage they would have a lot of jobs to do. But as mahjong professionals , they were also here to talk about the younglings performance. After all , a good chunk of them would face them on the pro circuit in the years to come.

When talking about most of this year stars players they were impressed about their capacity, yes, but still confident enough that they could one-up them.

But there was one name that no-one had uttered yet, It had been the same the past two years but this year it seems even more locked down, as if it had become Taboo.

Then she spoke it.

"I hear you all say the girls this year are good, and I mostly agree. Some of them would make formidable adversaries in some years, others have even the might to get place among us right now. But I hear none of you name the ones that could probably trash most of us already. So what do you really think about the Miyanaga? " Said Yasuko Fujita, metaphorically kicking into the nest.

In an instant everyone stopped they chatter, looking at the offender with a mix of anger and gratitude. They all wanted to aboard it , but at the same time no one wanted to be the first to do.

"Going against the agreed flow, as usual from you 'Reversal queen'. But what about you, what do you think" answered Hayari from advancing from the other side of their reserved room, putting her usual Cosplay uniform.

"Well, that's what I do best after all." She smirked, then looking at everyone in the room she followed.

"Most of you know that I believe in players 'beloved by the tile' player that surpass the usual quirks and gimmicks you meet at the high-level tournament and go straight into impossible. Contrary to others, they can not be predicted by just looking at their games as they will still manage to pass what they want even when you know it is coming, You have to do with it, one up them.

And I know all of you believe in them too, being a Pro player nowadays without doing so would be impossible,.." She made a pause in her speech, knowing reaction would come.

Most of them just nodded, in agreement with her. Others frown, visibly disagreeing but not finding any call back.

One particular pro took that moment to talk. "It's not that I agree with you, but I must admit it is hard to do otherwise. They obviously fall in that class, not that I like it"

She was followed by a petite girl in a kimono, a Sake cup in her hand. Most would believe she was underage but the resident of the room knew better.

"I don't know, I think little miss here is in into something, but they may be more right?"She looked in Yasuko's eyes before drinking from her cup of Sake "Well, I really don't know"

"I recognize here the Vanguard of Japan's" She said, acknowledging Mihirogi" Yes, I believe the Miyanaga maybe even more than that. Most of you have heard of what happen during Nagano's Qualification match, But I was there, and I can tell you the light out was not natural, nor was the fact that Amae Koromo was literally glowing"

"Glowing? I hadn't heard about that"Hayari intervened anew "Is that even possible, or are you just telling lies"

"I can assure you it is no lie. And amidst the panic, Miyanaga Saki was smiling, like everything was like it should be, and most of you this is not all" That last bit was addressed to three people in particular, the Three Pro that had commented the match that involved the Miyanaga since the quarterfinals.

A rather old woman with short gray hair tied in braids nodded before speaking."You are talking partially about the localized earthquake during the Quarter Final right Yasu-chan. I was skeptic at first, believing it was just me, but I talked with Miyamori's coach, Kumakura-Pro, one of their foe at the time. She too felt it, and it broke her monocle"

The revelation took some time to sink-in before the first reaction."I don't like it, and it's not like I like her but her monocle should not have broken for something like a mere earthquake. That thing survived all crisis of Japan for the last 500 years" Kumakura Toshi was known respected even by the best player of the word. But her Monocle was even more than her. Saying it was a shock was an understatement.

"I really don't know, But I think your wild guess ten years ago was right? 'Great master'"

Hearing the name everyone turned to look to the interested. Sukoya Kokaji was well known by everyone in the room and was by large the most respect player in the room, and maybe the strongest, having won all but one cup she had participated in was the reason the called her Great Master. Along with an other fact that remain secret for most.

She had not said a word since the start of the meeting, and now that they thought about it she had not shown her usual bashfulness when called by her nickname.

"It was bonded to happen, I just didn't expect it would be that much" She said mysteriously.

"So, You really believe they are?" Asked the same old women from earlier.

"I am certain, I was certain some had appeared when the 'Power-player' like myself became more common three years ago. And the moment I felt them realized their Power, the moment I saw Miyanaga Saki play that meaningful games I knew they were." She said slightly trembling.

"Still in shock after your match against Ms Number one? It was after that match that you stopped playing for real right" Asked Fujita while Mihirogi gave her a water.

"Thank. I am alright the shock already past year ago. I am just exited. After all I searched for Ten years" A smile crept to her face, one of sincere happiness.

"This year inter-high will really have a great final. And for once I know something, They were right to build the scene so big and with all those security"Mihorogi conclude while taping on Sukoya's shoulders, a meaningful smile on her childlike-face" Now let's party, For the word could End once the tournament come to a close".

Everyone laughed at the plain joke before going back to their own privy discussion. But in the back of their minds they knew she was an interesting tournament that year was.

* * *

They were back at the hotel after Nodoka match that afternoon and now well into the night. She had eaten enough tacos so it was not the problem, Both Saki and Nodoka were still in the competition and Mihoko had started calming down after enough Time with Hisa so she did not worry about them.

So why? Why couldn't she sleep well tonight.

Or more accurately why did not she sleep well since the end of the Team tournament. At first she believed it to be the excitement of winning the title, And it may really have been then. But two weeks after the event she shouldn't still be so restless.

And what's more that restlessness should not feel like fear.

Recalling they were all sleeping in the same room Yuuki looked around And what she saw did not surprise her. Even so it was well past midnight she could see that none of her teammates were sleeping.

Next to her Mako was reading an other book, this one seemed it was about word's Mythology. She noticed this because it was usually one about mahjong or a manga.

On the windows-side, Nodoka was caressing her belly like she was pregnant, giggling like a maiden in love while looking at the star. Before that day Yuuki had never seen Nodoka do that but since then she did it every night till she fell asleep, sparing some glance at Saki from time to time. Yuuki knew she should find it creepy but for some reason it had become normal. Still that worried her a little.

And she was not the only worried one. At the table Mihoko and Hisa were whispering to each other while looking around the dimly lit room, sparing a glance to each of them. Mihoko was like usual resting her head on Hisa's shoulder, her hand stroking Kana's hair while the other cat-like girl had finally found sleep 'lucky her'

Miharu had said earlier she had something to discuss with their coach but she at not come back since.

The only one having no sleep problem was Saki , asleep since now 4 hours. The girl was one of those persons whose saying their sleep were agitated was an understatement. Chaotic was more like it. Maybe? Or was it anarchic? The both Perhaps

She didn't know anymore, two whole week with only a few hours to sleep at night were staring to mess with her head. She was even starting to see people glowing faintly.

She was hard pressed to understand how Nodoka could still play at that level with so little sleep. Maybe she slept during the day? For some reason it was easier to sleep the other day when she decided to rest at the hotel while the other had gone to look at the match.

Yuuki got up and went to take an other taco, maybe with some sleep piles. Passing next to Hisa, she heard a part of their conversation.

"We really should take an other room" Said Hisa said looking in Mihoko eyes.

"I agree, I am on edge, I don't think I can maintain my sanity any longer" Mihoko answered, Yuuki blushed but couldn't help listening .

"Me neither, being so close every night. Last night I couldn't sleep at all" Hisa sighted

"With that much, I don't think anyone could, The only reason Kana is sleeping is because she passed out from exhaustion" Her eyes drove to the girl next to her, her body was limp.

"She was holding it in too much. And you know what? I am kinda jealous of her, she looks at peace now" Hisa smiled weakly.

"I worry taught, there is a risk she don't wake up, Like that Takakamo girl. Or worse, end up like Nodoka" At that moment, Yuuki understood they were talking about something else, But what could that be, Yuuki was too tired to think about it.

She got in the Kitchen and Took one of her reserve Tacos before going back, deciding against the sleep piles because she wanted to hear the rest of the conversation.

"But really she is putting more each day, I don't think a Room next to hour would be far enough" Hisa stroke her chin.

"I confirm, The people next door changed room the other day because they couldn't anymore...uahhhh"Mihoko yawn before following "But won't she be lonely alone, not to mention she as the worst sense of direction ever"

" You're right, it is not her fault" Hisa turn her head around a look to the windows, where Nodoka still stood "But I don't think she will be alone, Nodoka is too affected to go on without her."

"I don't know if I should pity or jealous them" Mihoko said with a small laugh.

"Nodoka I don't know, But Saki... Jealous her, it's easier and more to the point. Still there is a good side effect by being near her for too long now"

"And what is it?" Mihoko asked honestly.

"We don't need no light on the lamp when we want to go around at night" That was more like the Hisa she had come to know Yuuki thought . But still, what did she mean by that.

"Hehe, you are right, that glow does have its use"Mihoko comment shocked Yuuki . The glow? So she was not hallucinating about that?

Yuuki rubbed her eyes to be sure. Now that the Tacos had kicked in she could see it clearly, the light on the room did not come from outside, the shadows were wrong, and too numerous for that. Some were also of the wrong color, far too blue to be from the city light either.

She looked at Saki and finally saw it, it was like her friend was a bonfire in the night, illuminating the whole room and each of them. Well now she knew she was not as tired as she thought, and also the origin of everyone unrest.

Maybe that was why Mako had switched to mythology, searching an explanation for this.

Looking at her sempai , Yuuki was forced to rub her eyes once more. Saki was not the only one glowing. Around Mako she could see a blue-green halo were Saki's light did not reach totally.

Looking around everyone seemed to have developed that strange thing. Did she have it too?

_'By the way how did I get in the kitchen without putting the light on?' _That simple question answered her other. She was just like them. And from what Hisa had said it came from being near Saki. But it wasn't like that at the start what had changed ?

Yuuki would have speculated longer but all those strange question coming to her did her a small blessing. Her brain shuts and she could finally sleep. Her last thought before the total stop were that she would ask her president tomorrow.

* * *

Shizu was lost in the mountains. She didn't know for how long but she was truly lost. It was a first for her but she wasn't scared. After all she would soon find a road back out of here, even if it took her whole life.

At it been anywhere else she had been lost, she would have would probably be afraid. But the mountain was like a second home to her and she liked it here. She knew her friends may start to worry if she took too much time but it couldn't be that long, after all she could still see the sun in the sky, even if the moon was there too.

She had walked for three days in the mountains once. They would not worry too much before then.

Still she did not remember how she had gotten here, but it was the more wonderful mountains she had ever seen and that alone meant that she was not in Nara. After all she was pretty sure she had done them all.

She had a hunch she may be in Nagano but she couldn't for the life of her thought where that had come from.

But the real reason she did not worry was because she knew it was a dream. The asters in the sky had not moved at all since she had woken up here and she had not been thirsty, hungry or even tired since she had walked more than she ever had in one go.

Now that she thought about it, maybe she should worry, she never had that kind of dream before and never were any so tried to remember what had happened before but all she could remember was a tall mountain, and herself and to other being prisoner at its base. She could also remember al beautiful and lonely flower at the top of that mountain. She had desperately tried to attain it with the other two but they ultimately failed. Giving it their whole they had slowly lost all hope to ever arrive and finally stopped. At the end she was the only one still trying and when she believed she was finally getting closer she had been swallowed whole by a crevice beneath her and then ...

And then she had woken up here Lost in the mountains. A Mountain that seem to change without stopping, playing with her, defying her to find the road out when they could very well be none.

She hadn't backed down from the challenge and at take it upon herself to explore those flowery Monts. She had to walk, she had run , she had climbed , but whatever she had done she couldn't get out, Even going back on her own track she found she was on a new path.

She had soon found that the mountain from before was still there with the 'Flower' at its peak and had tried to go there. But she soon understood there was no way she could get there before understanding the mountain itself. And so now she explored.

So Today too she would search, she had seen a big flowerbed to the west sometime ago, with a mansion on its side. Maybe she would find someone there.

...

After walking for what seem like days, managing to tire her even in this dream she had finally found the it was inhabited.

"What are you doing here . No one should be here. No human at least" The green haired woman said, frowning while pointing her flower-parasol on her.

"I am lost in this mountain and I can't seem to find a way out. Could you help me, I tried to explore it for days but I can't seem to manage." Shizu bowed, the woman seemed scary. But she was her only clue." I am sorry if I am bothering you but, Please, Could you help me?"

"You do know this is the dream world right?" The Woman asked, apparently appeased by her explanation, and maybe the bow.

"Of course, I am not stupid." She was a little offend, But at the same time it did take her a while to understand.

"I wonder. Let me guess. You first tried to go to that "Flower "up there but never managed so now you are trying to understand at the mountain work" The woman had a longing gaze to the mountain behind her as she expressed her conclusion.

"Yes pretty much, how do you know?" She had to admit the woman was spat on, maybe it was because it was her dream.

"You are not the first one to get lost there, nor the last I fear." The woman said melancolicaly, opening her parasol and putting on her left shoulder.

"Do you know how I can go out" Shizu followed, not wanting the woman to dwell on her sadness.

"Yep, it's easy" The woman flashed a smile that made Shizu cowered. She was not just scary. She was frightening as hell. The only time she had been as frightened was just before she got here.

"Stop doing it" She simply said, The predatory smile still on. She really had a rapid swing mood Shizu though.

"Stop doing what?" Shizu was lost.

"What you are doing , Trying to understand, trying to reach the unreachable"

"But.." How could she, it was the only way she could.. Her thought was stopped by the woman discourse.

"Listen, they are Mountain that can't be explored, that just can't be explored without getting lost in them are flowers that aren't meant to be picked up. And they are place that aren't meant to be reached even in dream. That place is such a thing, So just let go or you will end up like me" She all but ordered. The last part was not a threat but a stated fact. And that could only mean one thing.

"You mean that?" The woman was not a product of her dream, she was also prisoner of that word. But strangely she did not seem to want and go out. Maybe she had found out something here she couldn't let go.

"Yep, Long ago I got lost here, trying to get to find the"Flower". Although I gained something invaluable and I don't regret it. I find it hard sometime and wish I had not. As for you that pass is not the one you should follow so just let it go" If the speech had not been enough, the image in the green-haired woman's eyes was enough to convince her.

Ans she sorta want to see her friend. She was really starting to miss her, And she had to apologize for loosing that match.

Now that she remembered this was what at really started it all. The mahjong tournament. That girl ? Miyanaga Saki, She had become strange during the match and Shizu had started to see things.

The pressure was so big, maybe she had lost consciousness.

Now she really had to wake-up and for that she had to let go like the Woman had said.

She looked once more in the direction of the "Flower" suddenly understanding its meaning before turning, Founding a black Gap in front of her. She passed through it and while she could feel herself waking-up only one thing was in her mind "Miyanaga Saki, you truly are an unreachable "Flower"."

* * *

Thank to EXperUs for giving the name of the software I used to correct the grammar of the four chapters of this fiction. I hope it is better now.

Please review.

Fragment of Ring


	5. Chapter 5

Now the fifth chapter, I hope you enjoy it. The next Chapter to go out should be "Missing Power". Or maybe "A Garden under the Moon" if I don't get inspired enough to end "Missing power" before I get around to write its next chapter. (I know it is a repeat, but it is still true, I just lack one part a it will finally go out)

Vein's Simply Tired: Thank , For the green haired woman, let just say the flowers around here are **Sunflower** **;p **. Shizu was lucky she did not walk insides that flower-field I tell you.

EXpertUS/ Jebli: Thank you for the support, as well as all the one from the others reader. And if there is any remaining problem don't hesitate to tell me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki, nor the other characters of the story.

* * *

**Saki/the beginning of an End**

**The Spreading Power (part one)**

* * *

"Everyone, Good day, Like you probably know , Today is the fourth day for the Individual Mahjong Tournament, and so on this shining summer day we Start the Eight of final. I have the honors to have with me Today Mihirogi pro who will give you more details"

"Well, I don't know what to say."The cheerful voice came.

"... You could start by telling us what special about today's match"

"Yes, From today there will be only one match for each player each contrary to yesterday's two rounds. The reason is that today's matches are three hanchan long, Why? I don't understand"

"Isn't that so they can show more of their talent? The more talented the players are , the more you want to show them to the spectator."

"That. But if you knew it, why did you ask me? And why keeping the two best players each time?

"I suppose it is for the show too ."

"I don't think so. It is because you sometimes have the bad luck to end up against the best player in your first match even so you are the second best"

"You mean like the first match after the qualification? When Jindai Komaki End-up second behind Miyanaga Saki even so she is one of the favorite, she as been doing quite well since."

"Well, Something like that I suppose, I don't really understand those things after all? And Jindai is definitely not the second best"

"Do you mean by that that Miyanaga Saki is the best one?"

"I didn't say it, You did? But yes, Miyanaga Saki is clearly one of the players that I put on my favorites list, Even so I really don't understand How she play"

"Thank you Mihorogi- Pro for that prognostic, And look the first players of this morning's match are finally getting in their rooms. There will be four simultaneous matches this morning and four others this afternoon . And the reason I was talking about Miyanaga Saki is that Its her match that we will comment today with Mihorogi-Pro. So what do you have to say about the players?"

"Well, Like I already said, I don't really understand those things"

"Yes, after all, none of them are anything to scoff at. First there is Nakiri Ranko; even so her team didn't qualify due to the predominance of Shindouji, she still is Shizuoka's best players, She already has some experience at this level in this tournament as she ended-up in the top 8 last year."

"There is something in her voice, But what? I don't know"

"...Second is Usuzawa Sae, It's her first participation in the tournament but she really showed great thing in both tournaments, first by beating the former 6th best player and then stopping Eisui's Hatsumi during the Team tournament. She also showed great prowess to seal her opponent hands even during the individual earning her her place here"

"Too bad for her monocle, not that it would have been of any utility against "her" "

"Right, I'm the one who don't understand here. It's true that since the start of the individual she has stopped wearing it. But it's not like it was any use for her, She have 10 for each eye if her fich are right"

"You wouldn't understand. Even I don't really know. So , Who is the third one?"

"The third one is Miyanaga Saki. A first year who came out of nowhere this year. She, along with her team, completely baffled everyone by winning The team tournament this year in which, as the captain, she made the strangest and deadliest come back recorded in history, snatching the MVP title from her namesake, the current champion Miyanaga Teru.

"Sisters can be like that"

"What did you say? Well surely nothing understandable, Like I have said , Since then she has continued her extraordinary winning streak in the individual and is definitely one to watch. She is also one of the 4 first year still on the list among the 32 remaining player."

"One of them is from the same school right?"

"Yes , it's Haramura Nodoka, But her match is commented by an other duo. Now the last one in this match is Tsujigaito Satoha, a fearsome player with a stern expression, She is last years third finisher and as a third year. It's her last chance to take her revenge. But for that she will have to pass trough today match without too much scratch. Can she finish first today too and continue her road to take the title, or will crumble under the strength of her adversary"

"Don't ask me, I really don't know, Maybe she could end up second"

...

In the entrance of the Room B The door opened. Satoha had heard all those comments and it really grated on her nerves.

She was used to be remembered she had finished third last year, and if anything she was quite proud of it as she doubt she could do the same this year, Not that she had not got stronger, But because this year was a freaking carnival.

Last year; at this stage of the competition, it was bad luck to be against someone like Teru, Jindai or Mekaru. But this year, even players that were formerly normal seemed to have developed strange things. If she were to be honest, they most likely always had it and it was just her that caught on it now that she was better.

Her own sense of the game could, for some, seem unnatural but Satoha new better.

What really unnerved her was all those on One of her adversary. Miyanaga Saki. When they were still waiting to enter the game-room she had seen the girl for real for the first time, And she had to admit she looked like Miyanaga Teru. But the resemblances didn't end there and she had studied along with her 'friends' on her game, Getting insight from Choe who had finally recovered after her own match with her.

So she knew, there was no other way, Miyanaga Saki and Teru were most likely sister like Mihirogi -pro had just left on.

And it unnerved her as it would mean she had most likely the same strange things going around her. In fact , after listening to Choe she knew she had, period.

Being near Saki for not more than one second she had already felt the world weigh on her as her sheer aura grated at her resilience. Usuzawa Sae had even closed her eyes , to be sure she did not catch her in her gaze when she was not ready. The match had not even started but Satoha was already tented to unsheathe her sword.

The last one to arrive in the waiting room, just before they opened the door, had been Nakiri Ranko. As last year , she was always smiling and greeted them with her usual whistle. But even her seem to be touched by the symptom that seem to touch everyone in the tournament and lacked her usual cheerfulness.

And as she posed her eyes on Saki's own, She immediately stopped her whistling, Like there was something in them telling her to wait.

And that was why those earlier comment grated on her as the matched started. Because she knew they were the truth. Miyanaga Saki would most likely win this year, And the best she could get in the match was the second place.

Once again, the best place she could hope to get in the tournament would be third.

And with all that rage in her. She decided that it would not be. She was a Mondial Class player, She would not falter against some freaky monster, After all it was not like she was fighting an almighty God was it?

With this thought in the head the first hanchan started.

...

She had rolled the dice had the first East and her starting hand was not a bad one. Two away from tempai with at least a 7700 payment without Richii. Usually she would first obverse the players, even more with the fact that there were three hanchan meanings that she had the time.

But with those three she wanted to have a head start, to be sure, And for some reason that hand felt good to her.

But at the same time she remembered that contrary to the current champion , Miyanga Saki seemed to love wining the first hand, and she most of the time won by Tsumo. As East she just had to go for the win, She would observe later.

And so she attacked, discarding central tiles first , getting curious eyes from both Usuzawa Sae and Ranko. It was normal for, by doing so, she showed her intention from the start. In three turn she had discarded a 5dot and a 4 bamboo from her starting hand before throwing the 7wan she had just picked. She already had one in her hand and didn't feel she would get an Iipeiko.

After that she continued by discarding her pair of west as a Pair of 1 had come her way.

But Satoha was not the great player she was without having learnt to be cautious of her adversary even when she was on the attack and so she kept track of the other player.

And so when she reached a tempai on the 11th discard the game was so that Usuzawa Sae to her right was nearing Tempai, Probably one or two more if she was to go by the fact she was still looking some of her tiles before discarding. And From the Discard she could tell she was going for a Tanyao, most likely to cut her.

Strangely she had not made any call as was usual with quick Tanyao. Maybe none of her waits had yet to come? Or she maybe she had some other Yaku that necessitate the hand to remain close. An Iipeiko perhaps? Or was she going for the Bonus that was a Pinfu in a closed hand? There was the possibility of a Chitoi too.

Well It was not really dangerous yet but she had to keep track on her. At least she did not seem to try and block her hand with her strange gaze. Probably saving it for later.

Ranko , for her part , seems to have caught on the fact she was tempai and had decided to Fold. She was the same last year too, cautious when the game was still open but reckless when it was a close that stage of the competition she couldn't blame her, even less with that one at the table.

Fate had given Satoha the place in front of Miyanaga Saki for the first hanchan so she had a full view of her face. Usually this would have meant she could analyze her facial trait and slight movement to try and determine how her hand was going. But in this particular match it meant she had a direct saw in her eyes.

First , the strange girl had not reacted at all when she had discarded such a strange tile at the start. But worse was that if Satoha had seen it right, by the 14th turn none of Miyanaga Saki's tiles were from her starting tiles. She had completely changed it.

After that she had directly thrown out every one of her tiles. To her bad luck none was the one she waited, and her hand could be anything.

Satoha could have declared Riichi but with the way Usuzawa was playing , along with Saki's inprevisibility made her remain cautious. Usuzawa's eyes were alternating between her own hand and the pond, never looking at other hands or face. Ranko , for her part, was taking more and more time to decide whose tiles she had to discard, her frow making her worry clear.

As for Saki she was not even looking at her own hand or the pond, she was just looking at Satoha. It was at least the impression Rinkai's ace had.

As the game got deeper, and the pressure thicker, Satoha started doubting her wait would come. After all, her wait was almost clear, and it was really possible that Ranko and Saki were holding on them. In truth her only hopes were a Tsumo or a slip up from Usuzawa.

On the 15th turn Usuzawa Sae declared Riichi.

Maybe that was the reason she had not made any call. If there was even one terminal in her hand making a call would have just ruined it. How could Satoha have ruled out that possibility from the get go?

Well that Riichi , even late, was a boon for Satoha as it gave her more chance to get the winning tile.

Then came the last turn, the last discard was Usuzawa's. She took it and when her eyes got on it she got livid.

"Well, I should have discarded the other earlier. Bad luck for me" Was all she said in a resigned voice.

She then let it go of her hand. And Satoha Unsheathed her mental sword, cutting at her victim points.

"Ron" Satoha called. But she had felt like her sword had been blocked. She still got her target, but something was off.

Then she looked in front of her, first at the hand that was also revealed in front of her, before being drawn upward by the others announcement.

" Honistu , Itsuu. Houtei Rouyui. 12 000 Haneman" Saki Declared as the first illusion of the game flared. For one second they saw a saber taken in crimson Higanbana cutting of Usuzawa hand and heart, Guiding along the way a Katana that seemed to be coming from Satoha to the same point.

"... Junchan, Houtei , 12 000" Satoha said, remembering she had to tell her score.

In Saki's hand were the three other 8 wan she needed, and the pair of honor in the first year hand were the same west she had discarded in the 13 and 14 turn as she changed her own pair.

Satoha had gotten then message. From that moment she had been playing in the younger girl sick's game. No, Maybe even before. The girl drew a full Mangan on the first 14 pick, when she had been discarding her starting hand. Did that mean she was played since the start?

"The Riichi stick is mind I believe" Saki ask for convenience, before taking it anyway.

On this first hand, Saki had totally out done her, and now Usuzawa Sae was at Zero on the very first hand. Was Saki preparing to do the same thing she had done in the first match?

As she looked at Saki anew, Satoha once more steeled herself. She won't let that monster play as she wanted.

...

"Well , Mihirogi-Pro we once more see a strange start. It is the first time we see a double Ron in the competition I believe"

"I don't know at all. I don't even remember who was the winner of the last match I commented"

"It was Mari Sasame. You know , that second year who goes around with that strange hat.

"Oh yes, Well Yes , Double Ron is really rare, I don't think I ever had one. But that's not all. "

" What do you mean?"

"It is no surprise that you don't understand, I almost did not myself. Let's just say that it felt the whole thing was orchestrated from the start. All three players made the exact move required for that situation. If she had played more or less carefully, Usuzawa Sae would not have declared Riichi on that wait, But the way Tsujigaito Satoha held on terminals tiles made it hard for Usuzawa to not do. There was also the way Miyanaga Saki ostensibly discarded her whole staring hand from the start and got a one-suite hand gathering each of Satoha's wait but one. Well that's what I think. I don't really know after all."

"Nakiri also had a part Right. Had she decided to attack she would probably have changed the draw with her usual call"

"Maybe, But with her starting hand she did not have the choice but to fold"

"That's right, if I remember right it was six away from tempai. By the way , Why did she ask to see the Rinchan at the end here?"

"... I don't know... It's why I would like to say."

* * *

Nodoka felt strange these days. Since the end of the team tournament when she had collapsed she felt like something had changed in her.

She understood that something had changed when she now couldn't help but know there was unnatural things in mahjong, contrary to what she had always believed. It was not that she wanted to believe in them now. But she saw them. Like you saw a graphic about statistical wins.

But oddly it did not bother her that much.

Take the match she was in now . She knew Sanako Echiya was preparing to use her ability, even if on her game nothing was outside of a the possibility of one match. Arakawa Kei for her part had a an aura of calm and was playing seemingly defensively. Put she could see the turmoil of power since the start in her eyes. As for Yuzuki Terazaki , there was nothing at all. Not even that little bit of aura she could see for everyone that seemed talented. It was to the point she was asking herself if the girl had not just be lucky till now.

She would probably, seeing that the girl was already down 18000 points on the second east, If she did not know now that luck was also a part of the power.

She closed her eyes a little, before shaking her head. It was not the time to sleep, not before that afternoon at least.

That was one other thing. No human in their room seemed to be able to sleep well before late in the morning night. At first it had just been a little of unrest, but now it was an insomnia that could be called a mental illness.

For her part each night she could not help but think about Saki. Well to be precise she couldn't stop to think about her whatever the time of the day.

But it was not love, she knew, it was something deeper that even that. It was reverence. When she had passed out after Saki's win of the Team tournament she had visions. And it came to her, Saki was more that she could ever be.

"Tsumo, Double-Ton, 2000 all" Nodoka payed the wind god's priestess of , not even phased as she had seen the pic in power when the girl had discarded the west so tardy in the game.

That was another thing. How did she even know Echiya was the priestess a wind god? Well it was true that the girl always won after a win discard in her record but it was more that there was a trace of it in that girl aura.

An Aura that had suddenly receded as the first repeat start. Nothing would come from that way for this turn.

Today, Saki was playing at the same time as her in another room. And Nodoka could feel from here that she was having a lot of fun. Nodoka smiled, it would not do for a follower to not be happy that her goddess was having fun. Because Saki was a real goddess, Nodoka now knew that as deep as she knew she need to breath.

She did not know however when or how it had become an evidence to her but it was.

And it would probably become such for everyone soon as the sheer aura that Saki was putting was searing down on almost everyone Nodoka knew. Mako and Hisa had theorized it was the reason they could not sleep . It was why they had envisaged to get an other room.

But Nodoka had refused. She would not let Saki alone. She was about to protest but Hisa said she could remain with them.

On one hand she was really happy, but she did not know if she was ready to take care of a goddess such as Saki. Even more with the way that Saki did not seem to know she was one herself. Would she embarrass her if she wore a more ceremonial outfit from now on?

But she also knew it was not her place to break the news to Saki. It was something for a fellow god like her Sister to do .

'Is the aura I see the Power output ?' Nodoka had asked herself the last few days as she discovered the world with new eyes. It would explain why only she seemed to see it and why Saki's was visible even here.

She had learned what she saw was different from what the others in their room saw when she asked Hisa if she saw a halo around the others outside and got a negative answer. It seemed that the light around them at night and the aura she saw were two different things.

"Ron , Pinfu , San-Shoku, Iipeiko. 11900 " Arakawa declared as she ron out of Echiya. Nodoka had not noticed any variation this time from Kei. She seemed to be ever equal , but always strong. She could understand how she could have stood tall against Teru.

But Echiya's had come back, brewing another storm. Nodoka would not let it pass this time. She had a north in her hand. Whatever happened she would not let it go, She could most likely make a wait on this.

Her usual self would have never tried to base her whole hand on a hell wait. But with faith herself , and on the power Saki had bestowed, albeit unknowingly, on her she was sure she would manage.

And those four 8bamboo would be really useful for that.

On the sixth turn she felt a surge of power from the green haired Miko and her own hand to tempai that needed her to discard the North. But Nodoka did not throw it. And like she was guided by Saki's hand she declared a Kan with the 8banboo she had since the start. '_I hear you Saki'._

Of course she would not win with a rinshan but what she was searching was the draw.

The last north giving her a pair and blocking Echiya. And she was still in Tempai . She had gone from a Chinitsu Iipeikou (88 876 876 54 321 , N) to A lone Honitsu with still an Iipeikou possibility (8888 76 765 432 NN, 1). But even so, now she knew she would win by the way the only other real treat on the table had given signs of folding this hand.

She freed the bird from her hand and declared Riichi. With that she did not do with intuition. She had really good odd to get one of the remaining 5b. And she had to admit she felt it coming.

Turn later she was proven right and mentally thanked her goddess.

"Riichi Ipatsu Tsumo Honitsu Iipeikou Dora. Baiman 4000/8000" '_Thank you Saki'._

...

"Seriously , what is she doing" Touka asked of her friend sat next to her in the first rank of the spectator room.

"What do you mean Touka, She just won that hand right?" Hajime asked

"It was not like her at all, I can understand keeping the four 8 as it gave her a pair and the iipeikou, but she should have thrown out the north long ago and gone for the chinitsu. It was the most logic way and had far better odds"

"You're right, She does not play like that usually, Maybe something change since the team tournament."

"... Maybe, But that was really reckless playing. It's more like..."

"It was like she was emulating Saki right. I heard Kiyosumi talking in the hall. Apparently the thing that happened at the end of the tournament start touching them all. "

"What do you mean? I do not understand."

"I mean like when you go playing totally differently, (and better) when you go against too strong opponents."

" I do not acknowledge such a thing,.. But I don't see why it would happen now "

" It happened for the first time after you were forced to sleep in Koromo's room because of the fire at the manor right? Maybe sleeping in the same room did something to them too."

"That's ridiculous. I know that Saki and Koromo are out of even my understanding. But that's too freakish for them... I think... I hope"

"You see , even you doubt. Remember earlier, when we escorted Koromo to see Saki's Match?"

"..." Touka simply nodded. Everything was said with that simple memory.

Lately there have been an increasing number of people reporting strange incident around this part of the city. Some even said they saw spirits. Of course for Touka all those things were just the babble of the populace.

But she couldn't deny that there was a heavy atmosphere around the venue. And when she had gone near Saki earlier she felt herself faint. The part of herself she denied had almost awaken just by being 10 meters away from her.

Of course she had quickly got back to the Room C's spectators room , but the feeling had not left her since then.

Did something like that was really happening to Nodoka. At least she seemed to take it better that her. But she still would need to talk to Hisa to assure everything was alright. It would not do for Nodoka to quit because of some strange illness like she had almost due to an outbreak of fever. She was the one who had got her out of the competition and as such should be able to at least go to the final.

Anything less and she would force Nodoka to be her maid as a punishment

* * *

Sae did not believe from the start that she would become champion. She was not even the strongest in her own team. For her , managing to go till today was already unexpected. Even more unexpected was that the three representatives of prefecture, Toyone , Shiromi and herself , were still in competition. But Toyone would probably be the only one tomorrow for she was now going against two former top 8 and the new star of this year's tournament whereas Shiromi would go against the former champion and the Miko princess, along with a girl that sincerely believe she was a magician.

You really found the strangest person here.

But it did not change the fact that she wanted more. So she had decided to try her best. That was why she did her best to not look at everyone, yet. She was just focusing on playing her best game.

But it did not suffice. Miyanaga Saki and Tsujigaito Satoha had struck her in the inch of her life from the very start. She had managed to take some breath with a 4 han Mangan tsumo on the first repeat. Thank mostly to an exchange of calls made by Satoha and Saki, giving her more draw than the others.

Sae had never seen a game with so much double Ron. Apart Saki who was always the author, they had all been touched at least once. For her she had been touched thrice before understanding she should go against her instinct when upping her hand value.

The three times she had been blasted to exactly 0. Like she feared, the table and flow were in Saki's absolute control. She even had hallucinations of being murdered, from diferentes means, each time Saki had hit one of them. It was like they were guinea pigs in a new way to torture the mind of a young girl.

After the Earthquake during the quarter final, it was still tame.

She was really tempted to look at Saki's hand. To see if her new found ability to block the progression with her gaze , a thing that had become permanent since the individual, would work on the monster. But that power still tired her out against strong players so she would wait the third hanchan.

She would maybe try during the second hanchan against the two other players. To assure herself the second place. But with the strength that was showed by Miyanaga Saki , she knew she could not hold long against her without ending as tired as she had been against Miyanaga Teru during the Qualification's phase on the first day.

She had been forced to use it so that the short east round match did not end up with the three of them loosing too much point. If it had not been the last match of the day, or for the day off just after, she would not have been able to concentrate yesterday.

It's now the South 3. Miyanaga Saki's second turn as east and supposedly the before last.

But it could very well be the last or the 8th before last . On the third turn the weirdness were there once more.

Saki called for a 3 bamboo she had discarded to do a meld 234. That was when Sae remarked that there was already a lot more of bamboo on the pônd that that it had any right to have. Then two turn Saki discarded a 7 bamboo

"Pon" Tsujiigaito called has she seemed to concentrate even more.

Still she did not waver and discarded a 6 bamboo

"Pon" This time it was Saki. And Sae started to see an eerie bamboo forest in the background .

Since then it became clear Saki was aiming for yet an other Hon or Chin-itssu or, heaven forbid , a Ryuu II Suu.

Knowing the girl , and with the fact that she was starting to feel like she was lost in the forest, it was almost sure she was going for the second but you never could really know someone like that.

Still from that moment, no one discarded any bamboo.

But Sae had a hunch it was because no one had any bamboo to discard anymore as since that second pon none had come to her hand. Most of them were probably either in the pond or in use in one of the hands. Saki's was a sure thing at least.

And it went on like that until the 15th turn. Every win seemed to drag till the near end of the game in their match. On the record she had of Miyanaga Saki it had been like that since the final.

Either that or the hand stopped in the four begging turn. It never changed, like a fake safe zone between the start and the end.

Fake because during that time no hand seemed to materialize, just authorized to advance but forbidden to open the last door.

She had heard Ranko whistle before discarding the first white dragon and Saki's turn came.

"Kan". Saki had called a self-kan with the green dragon. It was now clear with hand they would suffer.

As the godly girl extended her hand to pick the rinchan they heard a mighty roar. Surprised, Sae unwillingly looked up.

What she saw was the reptilian eye and predatory smile that bore on the godly girl, following it the dragon that was her hand cut through the bamboo forest.

"Tsumo , Rinshan Kaihou , Ryuu II Suu" When the dragon got back in the sky the forest bloomed. "16000 all".

And during all that, she still had that eye fixed in her mind.

'BIIIIIIP' The end of the first hanchan rang-out.

As she heard the monster sprang up, Sae collapsed on the table. She had taken the worst of it but the two other players did not seemed to be able to get up either.

Was it only the first one?

* * *

There is a reason I named this chapter with a "Part one" and that is because the two next chapter at least will be about the same theme. That is to say the so called "Spreading Power"

Thank you for reading .Please review

Ps: +2k hit. I don't know if it's good but I never thought I could get that many as it was at first supposed to be a one shot. Thank you for your support.

Fragment of Ring


	6. Chapter 6

I present you the sixth chapter of this story that was supposed to be a one-shot at first, I hope you enjoy it.

There are heavy hints as to what is the purview of Goddess Saki, let's see if you find them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Saki, nor the other characters of the story.

* * *

**Saki/the beginning of an End**

**The Spreading Power (part two)**

"Welcome Back, After 45 minutes of a hectic first hanchan we are now back for the start of the second Hanchan of the Eight of Final. If you just joined us, The final score for the first Hanchan was: First with 35 400 points, the Last year's runner up, still showing that unwavering smile and game , Arakawa Kei,."

"I must admit, she really is demonstrating a great talent, I think she already is at the level of some pro I used to play back in the day"

"You are not that old, Or do you mean when you were yourself in high school? Well whatever. With 31 800 The Second, thank to her position, is last year's middleshool champion, Haramura Nodoka"

"I must admit , I really didn't waited her at this level of the competition, But she changed her way of playing since the start of those Individual. I don't know what triggered it but I give us an interesting result "

"You are right, She was hyped but this year's tournament as a really high level, the higher I can seem to remember in fact"

", And the third finisher of that first Hanchan, exaeco with Haramura-san, is another proof that high level. Coming from the Yamanashi prefecture, The Wind-priestess Echiya Sanako"

" Her Luck in wind hand is in fact uncanny, at least on the level of Ventor and Usuzumi Hatsumi But in a different style , But I wonder if it would be enough to go against the strongest monster we've seem so far. At least she isn't one to fall under the pressure"

"And in last place, the last year 16th finisher, She probably hoped to get a better ranking for her last year of high school but her chance already seems rather compromised against her young underclassmen, Terasaki Yuzuki only survived by the skin of her teeth with 2600 points "

"You're sadly right, Terasaki is a good player , but this year level is just too high for her as shown by her narrow second place against Maya Yukiko , an other newcomer . "

"We really have beautiful players this year right? Oh I see on the camera that the game is starting. Will Arakawa reclaim first place on her road to equal at least equal her last year ranking? Or will those two newcomers get in her way? Maybe will we see The Veteran's pride and luck grant her a comeback. If you want to know remain her"

"...You know what, I think most people are in room B. I heard the match there is even more of a strange sight, Mystical even."

"... Taiho-Pro, we still are on-air you know"

"I know, But it's still true, Not that there are any remaining places in the venue there, I checked. Even the stairs are crowed"

"... That's why you were late? ...Not that I don't understand, I really wanted to comment that match too, But Emi and Mihirogi-Pro got it. The privilege of being a Japan's team ace I presume. And in this room we only get to see the general view, so we only get bride of the three other ongoing match."

"And we didn't get the Room C For this afternoon either... Why did I accept that job again?"

"Because those matches are still interesting, And have to be commented. Like we should have for some time. Sorry everyone."

"Ah yes, The First hand has been already underway, and... The first dealer, Arakawa kei , just drew a Tempai, But if she goes for it she has to throw out the East she's been holding on to and Sanako has been waiting for it since the start of the round. Meanwhile, Haramura as been folding back since the start, and Terasaki..

...

Terasaki Yuzuki, Yuzu to her friend, knew what the commentator must be saying. They were talking about how far behind she was in the course. And frankly , that irked her.

Yet , she had to admit that till now she had been lucky to not go against this year star player. Yesterday afternoon had already been a close call. But she had not lost all hope, she had gotten better since last year, at least she thought so.

But here, she was again forced to fold back.

Her starting hand was good , a two away from a quick Damaten Tanyao, she could even add a Sanchoku if she was willing to wait a little longer. All she had to do was to trow away a pair of north.

And here was the problem, Discarding those north meant suicide against Echiya, she had learned that the hard way on the first hanchan and could see the intense the intense stare the girl was giving to her foremost tiles.

So she had just gone for the Pinfu, while still hoping the Sanshoku would permit her to run away. Really the pressure's getting on her nerves , was it like that last year. Yuzu look around.

Definitely not, She had played Kei last year, it was even her that had put her out of the tournament last year. And for that Yuzuki had studied her Nemesis every play since last year, and knew exactly how she usually was.

Everyone may be fooled by the calm air she put on but under it the girl's brain was running in every way possible. And it was not the same as last year, her smile was clearly a fake one.

Yes, Arakawa Kei was also feeling the pressure, there was no doubt about it.

"Pon" Echiya called, Taking the east Kei Had just discard. 'Why is she making such a mistake? She should know right'Yuzu look to her right. Now that a wind was in her hand, there was no doubt she was already in tempai, or inshanten if she was still waiting the north.

But Yuzu wouldn't bet on it. The green-haired seemed too sure of that , even if sign of worry was on her face.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen anyone who didn't look tired or worried up till now, even the spectator were, even as they were even more cheerful.

Well none but one. The girl in front of her was the only one with no trace of worry whatsoever.

If it was not for the fact that she had not made any fatal error since start she would think the girl was not even there. And in fact, she sometimes looked to the door , as if looking she wasn't in this room.

"Chi" The Pink haired girl made a call, surprising everyone as she had clearly bailed from the thrid turn on. What was she doing?

When Arakawa drew, she sighed, relieved, and threw out the tile she had just picked. However, even if it was obvious she was in tempai she didn't declare Richi, surely out of the doubt a bad tile could still come.

But there was a really low chance, and as she drew, Yuzu knew the draw shifting meant she would pluck the tile meant for Kei.

Nervously, she moved her thumb and looked. And unconsciously grinned.

"..." She couldn't believe it .It was the tile she was waiting, a 1wan. Thank for that she was now in Tempai, She just had to discard that Dora she knew was safe from everyone but possibly Haramura, But she was clearly not in Tempai.

Still, she decided to take a page from Kei's book and didn't declare Richii, the risk was still too big, even knowing when you had all the waits of one of your foes secured.

"Pon" once again Haramura made a call. It was just illogical. This girl was known for being like a computer, even if she was starting to integrate data from special player.

But starting an attack now that every player was giving signs of tempai? That was just madness. What was that girl up to?

The next turn, as Yuzuki Terazaki drew a 9 dot, she got her answer, even if she did not understand its meaning yet.

Still she could remember how she got from a potential Tanyao to a Chanta.

"Tsumo, Pinfu, Chanta, Sanshoku" As she declared her win she looked at her discarded and remembered, Trying to run away she had discard the same central tile the other , particularly Haramura, had discarded, while still maintaining the closest to tempai, waiting for her chance.

In fact she had almost exactly the same discards as the pink haired girl, apart for the first one. If she was any other person Yuzuki could believe she had been made to win by Nodoka. But it could not be. Not the style of the girl.

She hoped.

"So , How many?"Echiya Impatiently asked the as she had already taken her points stick.

"... Ah.. Sorry, Mangan, 2000/4000" Yuzuki said as she she was still wondering why, even so the latter girl was a real Miko, she felt like the one who she should ask a blessing to be the pink-haired girl.

...

Mako couldn't believe what she just saw. Was Saki that much of an influence on them?

For the first hanchan she was in Room B along with Buchou and the others from the club but Yuuki. Yet , That match was already decided and it wouldn't get any useful thing to her "spindle territory" as the devilish red-haired called the way she used her memory.

There was no limit to how strange a game could get, but there was one before it was too weird to be of any use in a memory. And if the game ever came to make a face like that one, Mako knew she would lose, no matter how.

That was why she had changed places with Yuuki in Room C, and now sat next to Ryuumonbuchi's student. The match here would be easier to compute in her mind she thought.

And in fact it was easier. But, like she had heard Yuuki, and then Touka said, There was something in Nodoka game that had changed. Not that she didn't know, after all she still trained with her between game and had seen it first hand. But it was even more obvious when she played there.

Nodoka had become able to believe in unnatural happening. Or more likely, if her own experience held true, She had been forced to. Like the program she was operating before only gave normal mahjong, And now, she had new statistic shoehorned into it, With new data about power level and the like.

At least it was her guess, because Nodoka play style hadn't changed, well most of the time. She still used the most logical wait, and when nothing strange was going on the face her play made was the same.

But when Power was activated, she reacted, playing against , or suddenly changing road just when the wave crashed. And, with only a little observation she could guess at its nature, slightly.

Really, ako wondered what Nodoka saw now that she had been forced into this new realm, forced to the what she had always rejected.

_"Ron, Itsuu , Dora" _The voice of Arakawa Kei came through the speakers, she had just hit Nodoka, Stoping the winning streak she had since the second east.

_" And with that , We now enter the south Round for that second Hanchan, Haramura is holding the lead with 32300 points while, even as she won the first hand Yuzuki is holding the last place with 22900" _

_"Arakawa Kei really played that one sneaky, hiding it under the guise of a Tanyao Honitsuu as she threw out everyone of her terminal first thing in the hand."_

_"Eh? Wasn't she going for that at first?"_

_"Knowing the girl I doubt it. I think she knew the 1 and 9 would come back, even if she trow them out that late. The really risky thing was to throw out all the other terminal she drew in the first 6 turn, she got lucky such a good wait made it to her hand that late."_

_"Well luck is part of talent right. But why didn't she make that Honitsuu with the itsuu?"_

_"She would have to trow away the 7 and 8 bamboo, Those two together are the tile Echiya lacked to win."_

_"Ah !You mean she was about to win and that Arakawa got to that little hand as a defensive measure?"_

_"Yes, but we should go back to the match, the first South seems to be yet another interesting round, Echiya is about to make yet another strike"_

'Yet an other storm' Mako thought as she continued to analyze that match.

"Really, that's why she should go back to her Nodochi , I would not make mistakes like that" Touka, sat just in front of her, complained once again.

" This is Nodochi, Touka-san, She plays exactly like usual, she has just taken others Data into account now." She answered , getting over her seat.

"If you say so, but that's still a stupid mistake" The Rich girl pouted. A Thing Mako found extremely funny.

Even if her play style didn't change, And the thing she made was everything but a mistake in Mako eyes. Just bad luck , she doubted even Saki could have really foreseen that one coming

Albeit, Now that Mako was herself starting to feel the effect of Saki's proximity, beyond the insomnia and glowing at night, she was starting to think the 'Girl ' could do next to anything.

And the effect of Saki was also obvious on Nodoka. As shown in what happened in today's match.

First, apparently Nodoka had won with a Rinshan on the first Hanchan, a move she would never try.

Then , At the start of the second hanchan, she had all but given the win to Terasaki. Contrary to Saki who did it out of unfathomable reason, or just because she felt like it, the reason was the logical one that the two others would otherwise win, for the same amount of point or more.

And at least Yuzuki was an easy to deal with opponents when the two others were the type to not go depsair immediately even against their resident goddess.

Yes, Goddess, that was the conclusion she and Nodoka had come in this morning.

Nodoka had talked to them about the dream she had while unconscious, and her near worship of Saki was apparent to everyone whose name wasn't Miyanaga Saki.

But Mako hadn't done so. With Nodoka, Mako was the other one to sleep next to Saki, and her nights had become more than strange those last days. That was why she had done research. But she hadn't found anything but gibberish of crazed men.

'Well , I do believe that my underclassmen is a Goddess, Maybe I am crazy too, and there those things too' Mako said as she looked around, her glass up on her head.

Before, she could only use this method to remember the match she had previously seen. Now she could see what the object she looked at had too, and it if she didn't concentrate really well, it could be really vomitif, She had to concentrate on what she wanted, selecting the memory that fit what she went like she usually did. But those memories were not her own, and when she didn't know what to look for it could be really random.

**_'Ron, 18000'_ **

Like that. She had just seen someone ron out of a Young Sukoya Kokaji on the screen, and that wasn't possible as said Kokaji-Pro wasn't even playing now. Yet the hand was an interesting one, old style did have its merit.

Feeling a slight nausea , Mako put her glass back before throwing up from the kaleidoscope.

_'I'll really need that next year of training if I ever wanted to get used to that _"gift"_ .'_

_"Tsumo, Chun, San Doukou, Toitoi,"_ That one was really happening now, and it seems Nodoka had really improved, from the discard Mako could guess she had held on her lone South from the start. Not a bad choice if you considered she won, but still unusual... If you weren't playing against someone dependant on them.

"I guess that being close to an awakening God can have a good side after all" She said quietly so that no one could hear her.

"Fuwaaaa~.. Still it's really tiring, I think I'll sleep this afternoon," Mako rubbed her eyes. Then she stared back to the screen, and remembered something .." In another room".

* * *

Nakiri Ranko was having the time of her life.

One might think that to be an exaggeration as she was just playing mahjong, But they would be sorely mistaken.

Because Ranko had always longed to take part in high-tension games like this, when the resource was this strong. That's why she was such a friend with Moko, Ito , Rise and Kei, because they were really good players who could always surprise her and satiated her want of new challenges.

But even that couldn't compare to the game she was playing now.

She had known that it would be excitingly difficult the moment she had entered the waiting room about an hour ago and had felt the tension around the Ace of East Tokyo. That Girl was one of the deadliest players, as she proved in the first hanchan, but even she was now nervous.

And she was faring far better than Usuzawa Sae, who clearly did not want to try her blocking ability on the fourth of them.

Miyanaga Saki. The girl had completely knocked the first hanchan, playing their nerves as much as with the score before literally knocking off Usuzawa score down zero. All of that with special effect that made her think she had gone mad for the whole match, before asking the two other for the dreaded confirmation that it had been real.

All in all she had to admit that the girl scared the shit out of her, But it was why it was so interesting.

And so, for that second Hanchan she decided to test her own limit.

"Chi" Ranko called out of the first year's Discard. Technically, that 3 wan would slow her down as she already had one in her hand, But she had to shift the order the sooner possible for her draw in 2 turn had a too dangerous echo, and she had not any good one on the previous.

The sound of Tsujigoito teeth greeting told her she had done the good choice.

Then she discarded a tile out of her pair of 8dot, praying no one would take it that she was discarding her pair and reading their hands to trap her second one. It was really a hassle to change your hand in those cases. An interesting one yes, but time was of the essence when you fought against players of that level an she had already taken 7 turns to get to the tempai she had previously been in.

Another thing that made this match interesting was that even so she could get the echo of the state of the game by the ripple made by discard on the pound, and the state of dangerous draw by the echo they made on the river it was just that , reading the echo.

And Two of her three opponents were making so much interference that reading them had become next to impossible, forcing her to play just using her talent and the little noise she could still get from the river.

For example, the tile that Usuzawa Sae had just drawn, the one that she had dodged to turn ago, was undoubtedly deadly for its feedback was deafening.

So, Why was she smiling? Ranko tried to remember the echo of Usuzawa's discard, but compared to the two other it was to calm fore her to feel admist the noise.

Has she been fooled?

"Tsumo... Pinfu, Tanyao , Sanshoku... Dora " The girl said, the exhaustion caused by the pressure softening her tone. Ranko couldn't believe it. Usually she would have known from where the danger came, but here she had been held. " 3200/6200"

Ranko's hand over the point , remembering to add the 100 sticks for the East 3 second repeat, and seeing that while Saki was still bearing her sickening smile even as she was the one to pay the dealer Lion part, Satoha were shocked, and angry.

Following her eyes she saw that she was looking at the draw which granted the Victory to the girl from Miyamori.

Really that match was interesting.

...

'plop';'BRRr'; '...';

And with that last silence her turn came. Until now, Miyanaga discarded had been the loudest of all, like the sound of a mountain crumbling down of that of an earthquake. And each of them was like that, making it an incomprehensible code where all of them had meaning. A meaning that she was trying with mitigated success to uncover with dread and excitation.

But now on the sixth turn of the 2 South, Following a quick Fourth east where her dealership had been stolen by a vindictive Tsujigaito hitting her point back from Usuzawa, The discard of the Monster had become a total silence.

'pick',' BOom', '...,'

The noiselessness of her discard was a total contrast to what it had been before and totally too Ranko by surprise as she tried to understand what was happening.

'tk','tack';'...'

As she wondered why she could not hear the echo of Saki's call, she remarked that the other's were also becoming quieter as even the real sound seem to abate, swallowed in the mood forced by the brown-haired girl.

The river itself had been cut since the start as not a tile gave of a ripple of danger in the flow._'What is this, I can't even hear my own breath'_

'...','...''...'

On the 13th turn it hit her, as she looked really looked at the discarded for the first time . Miyanaga Saki's discard had only been Terminal or Honor, making her real aim obvious. But knowing what was to come was not the same as being able to prevent it, She had already lost most of her usual arsenal and her hand was blocked two away from tempai.

And call what out of the equation, the face of her companion of misfortune told her so. Rinkai's ace eyebrows were twitching nervously as she looked back and forth between Miyanga's discards and her own hand while Sae head was down had she could see the cold sweat on the back of her neck.

This wasn't just the calm before the storm.

'...,...,...'

It was the deafening silence of an impending death coming toward the river, like the Styx, was driving them toward their fall.

Yet, when the last discard came out of Miyanaga's hand, whose eyes were glowing under her bang, she seemed somehow disappointed.

"...I don't know what to say" The girl pouted.

" No-ten" Ranko first whimpered, her tiles already down.

".. -no-ten.." Usuzawa Sae muttered, exaustested by the constant weirdness of this match.

"NO-ten, But that much was expected right?" Tsugaito stated, maybe offended she had been made a fool like that.

" .. Yes it was, but we still can do better, I know it" Miyanaga said off handily even as her voice seemed to echo in the whole room.

An eternity like 5seconds past as they all stared between her discards and her unrevealed hand.

"Still, I win this round, Nagashi-Mangan, 2000/4000" She finally flipped her hand, face up .

What she meant earlier became clear._'If there was a limit between interestingly high-level opponent and outright overpowered demon, That girl had broken it."_

"How?" asked Sae as he looked at the Yakuman tempai. The kokushi Musou Tempai.

"You should have gone for higher-hand otherwise it makes it easy for me to gather those poor children" She answered with an otherwordly smile. "Still trying the two at once is hard".

_'... And then made it into a Toy'_

...

Koromo could feel it, the fun that Saki was having, It was to a point that she regretted not having taken part in it.

None of Saki'aponnent had a chance to win with the way she was now of course, but each of them were putting a good fight and even as the knowledge that they were inferior crept in their mind they still tried, and in trying permitted Saki to explore new way to use her power.

"Wasn't that exaggerated?" Koromo heard someone comment behind her.

"She is just showing off, no one can get a hand like that willingly". Came an other's, voice unsure.

"...That's right, who would go for Kokushi with that. A Chitoi, Honron would have been good enough".

That was why people like this could never understand. Of course she could have gone for a quicker a easier hand, but unless there was a reason to believe she would be stopped, there was no use for it when the place was under her control. _'At least they could have mentioned Chinrontou or Tsuu II Suu not that they are at her type'_

Yet, the way that Usuzawa had sacrificed a possible Tempai, and probably used her ability seeing the girl was about to faint, Impressed Koromo. And with the smug smile Saki was having on the screen as the game state entered South 3, She too had noticed.

"Saki's really incredible, right Koromo-chan?" The enthusiastic Yuuki nearly shouted, tugging on her dress.

"Of course she is, she is the only one to ever beat the Koromo at her best, any less would be impossible" Koromo answered, as excited as her friend " and's that's Koromo-san for you"

" huh? But I think '-chan' is cuter, and you're so short that '-san' just doesn't fit ~Djey" Yuuki said, cocking her head to the side.

"...I'm not short, I am slender. And the only one who can call me -Chan are the one older than me that I respect" Koromo released little of her aura to make her point.

" But... You let Saki call you that, and she is younger right ~djey?" Koromo looked at her friend.

She had forgotten that most people couldn't see the real nature of the girl. Heck, she had only discovered it on that day, after she had come to shake up the young girl who was incomprehensibly holding back. When she had finished her discourse, Saki was staring into nothingness, lost somewhere she couldn't reach.

Koromo as starting to worry when the girl had woken up. And at that same time, the pressure just got throughout the roof.

And while Saki got back to the room to the final, Koromo had seen her true form, the one that she should never have forgotten.

Yet Koromo had to answer."Let's say that Saki is an exception. But I think everyone will understand by the time this tournament ended" Yuuki seemed she was Ok with that explanation as every sign of wonder disappear. Truly that was why she was found of her comrade in shortness, She was easy-going.

"By the way, I sense you have gotten better since the last time we match is already decided so why don't we go play together?" Koromo proposed as she knew Saki awakening had an effect on her teammate, as well as on almost everyone in the venue, "There is an open room not far and there are a central Tv there if something does happen."

" Yay, But where do we find two other players, I doubt Buchou want to quit the room~djey" The girl had jumped out of her chair, before putting her finger before her mouth as she searched for possible opponent.

" Don't worry, I' sure we will find some " Kormo said as she herself got up ,

" Here, follow me" she started to run and Yuuki ran after her.

_'Still, Why isn't she canceling her aura? I can feel it even at night when I know she sleep... Don't tell me she forgot how.. no It couldn't be. Still after so much time.'_

Koromo waited a little for Yuuki at a corner before continuing her road, still in thought.

_'... if she continues like this she will kill the weak ones before the end of the tournament. Not that I mind but I will have to ask her.'_

They both entered the open game room at the same time, and saw Saki on the screen, winning the hand with a 'simple' rinshan.

"That was quick~djey" Yuuki noted, not fazed at all.

"Not that's unusual" Koromo answered looking around for potential player.

_' At the same time Her awakening isn't conclude... yes that must be it. I am happy not not be normal, they will suffer when in conclude.'_

* * *

South 3 firth reapeat, That was where they were now in the game. Apart from that Nagashi Mangan the game had been a normal one. Well Normal for the female individual tournament with its fair deal of thing to make statisticians cry tears of blood but still.

So why was she dead-last?

She wouldn't let that past. Has she drew her last tile, Satoha sharpen her gaze and resolve.

Her starting hand was not a good one (457dot 147wan 357bamboo Chun Hatsu Ton Ton) Yet she wouldn't let her chance past hand already had a plan to get that hand to work.

Her first draw was a 3 Wan

Her first few discards would be of the essence. The first one was the 4Dot, usually she would keep it but she had to play for high win.

As she discarded she looked in the currently only visible eye of her foe and so nothing, a perfect calm that would make shiver a weaker mind but just managed to irritate her. That girl's presence has been just inaprehenssible, overly omnipresent but at the same time intangible.

Even if she wanted to forget her an concentrated on hitting the other she could not.

Satoha drew a 5 Wan and chose to trow the 4 wan. Once more a strange choice, In fact she could already hear the commotion in the waiting room, but her hand was definitely going the way she wanted. Once more she didn't perceive any move on the part of Saki, and Sae seemed to purposefully avoid looking at anyone. Obviously, she was tired about the effort sh did to protect her point from the near Yakuman. The four Green dragon hadn't escaped Satoha sight when the girl had discarded her hand.

But one person reacted. Nakiri Ranko and her unhuman hearing. She probably could guess that she was going on but not yet what she was going for. Still the girl was frowning , attempting to clear her glass.

And so she continued, discarding the 3 Bamboo with was called by Ranko then she waited two turn, discarding her draw before a 2 wan Finally came along with 6 the following turn.

(57 123 57 57 ch tt)

She waited to more turn throwing a 7 wan and a changing a 5 dot for a red one.

'Well that's an unexpected, nevertheless it's useful, Time to use these baits.'

On the following turn , as she drew a hopeful 6 dot, she threw the red Dragon.

"Pon" Ranko called and satoha was hard pressed to maintain her smile.

She knew they were in a Safe zone now as for Saki's win, and that was why she had waited till now to trow out the call bait an pass her turn.

And it was also an indication that a bad tile could be coming to her.

The following turn, she chose to discard the green one but no one called it even so the discards shouted that someone had at least two of them.

She caught Ranko's hesitating eyes and knew where they were. And at the same time that her victory would come.

As she drew a 6 wan she smirked.

"Richi"

Usually she would not do that against such dangerous opponent but here she was sure of herself. If a precise hit would work she would hit by a wild swing.

"Tsumo, Richi ipatsu Tsumo Sanchoku Aka Dora" She extended her hand do see the Ura. As she feared , and hoped, the marker was a nine wan. " Aka Dora, Baiman 4100/8100" And with that she was back on the second place only a 2 han hand away from first .

The 1 Wan in her hand along with the 4 was just too much. She would bet that the three other 1 wan were in Saki's hand as the girl had proven she could use her own version of others' ability for a time as long as it touched her territory.

She took the point stick, observing the manners of her foes. Yes she could take over first place in that last turn.

...

"And we now enter the last turn. What do you think Mihorogi-Pro, Do you think Tsujigaito Satoha can take back the first place, or will she just defend her second place? There is still the menace of the other player not far away"

"I don't know..

_'KyuShuKyuHai'_

Well , that was really anti-climatic."

"... Right... Miyanaga Saki just won the Second hanchan, offering herself a sure place in the next turn. But really she killed that last turn"

" Yes, But that was sensible for her. She was too far away from any good hand even a Kokushi. And there are to much honor in the other player hand for her to go and try on other nagashi so...There was no life on that one, that much is true, But Really... I don't know "

"...We will conclude on that a come back in 15 minutes for the third hanchan, where her opponents will fight it to get the other place for the quarter final while probably attempting to revenge for that rather off-putting final hand"

...

_'More, I can do more, I feel I am touching what's missing, I can even use a part of it. But what could that bliss be?'_

* * *

I know I said I wouldn't write before the end of July but I found sometime and the idea wouldn't leave me so here.

Thank for reading. Please review, if you have any question about what's happening, complain or even if you just like/ don't like. It has helped to boost my mood for writing.

Fragment of Ring


	7. Chapter 7

I present you the seventh chapter of this story that was supposed to be a one-shot at first, I hope you enjoy it.

Here the real nature of our favorite come to light.

Btw, I never said the story would be only three chapters, I said this part would be : (Spreading power).

As for the reason they couldn't do anything to save their friend the reasons are multiple. First they were still just awakening to their power, only Teru had started to recall her past life by that point. Second is that the girl body was too weak for all her power making it even harder if any could have helped. The third is that she died quickly, in her own fire.

And last is that the Goddess that could have done something was having a massive breakdown. It is said that on that day every attempt to save someone's life failed and no one was born.

Now onto the chapter. I hope isn't 'too much'.

A disclaimer: I don't own Saki, nor the other qualities of the story.

* * *

**Saki/the beginning of an End**

**The Spreading Power (last part)**

_'Am I over thinking things?'_ That was what Arakawa Kei was asking herself as her eighth of finals was coming to an end in with that third Hanchan. She still had time as she had won the first one and got a close second place on the second but she still couldn't breathe.

To say the truth she surprised herself to still be able to carry such a smile, the pressure was insane.

One of her three opponents was already done for even if it was only the East 1's first repeat. She had already plummeted to fourth place two times already today. The problem lay with her two other opponents. They were no Miyanaga Teru but she herself had hanged only by the skin of her teeth that day.

Some said she was a genius player like her sempai over at Senriyama, others that she was just plain skilled, others talked about an ability she had even if they still hadn't analyzed it.

They were all right, even about the genius part even if she was still far from the Champion. And she had rarely used her ability. Today wouldn't be the day she showed it at least.

Oh! She wished she could use it. It would make her more sure and permit her to let some steam out. But she couldn't. On todays match it could only backfire. Her opponents were tailored tailed for that.

Echiya , even if she tended to rely too much on her ability had proven that she was a great player with a great sense of the flow. She had proven it just now when she took away her winning tile by sacrificing her usual East Yaku to Haramura, which, even if she had gotten better, still had some predictable quirk that came with being a digital based player.

And Echiya was determined to Win that last hanchan to the point she could her 'faith' raging around her in a whirlwind.

_I shouldn't let it get to me... Even if she kind of gives off the same feel as her in a way,... But even if it's far weaker it still take back bad memories'_

"Ron" Kei was startled, she was so deep in her thought that she had half forgotten the match. Even so she was pretty sure she hadn't discarded a wind, so how come she was to take the hit?

Not aware of her foe trouble at all Echiya announced her hand. "Double-East , Haku, 9900 "

Kei gave her her point. And it came with an other realization. It was the first time the girl had actually won on her repeat. Before she had always backed off when that time came.

_'At that level I really can't let my guard down , we are all still growing, even now'_

While arranging for East 1's second repeat Kei focused anew. Echiya was one serious problem but the real obstacle to the exercise of her ability was the other. Haramura Nodoka.

She had first heard of the girl one year ago but at the time she had brushed her off as simply an average player, at least if they talked about the ridiculously high level that was the Inter high.

And even so she didn't like to admit it , her own team of Sangaoka was not far from the level of a middle school team without her, and she had still taken it to the level of 3rd team in Osaka on the Interhigh whereas the girl hadn't managed to make her team past the first tour.

Then had came the month of July, and that name came again, along the name of the now infamous Kiyosumi. And seeing the records she had to admit the girl had gotten decently better. Still they were cracks in her game, she clearly wasn't taking into consideration outside of the box way of thinking. Something that would without any doubt incapacitate her when the real time would come.

Inevitably, when the team-semi final came what should happen someday happened and she nearly lost everything.

That match was now known as Miyanaga Saki's Second Miracle.

During the final she did better, But still it was clear to all that she was hitting a block on her way.

By that time Kei had already put her with the one to look out for in the year to come but without being a danger to her in this year individual. But she was wrong.

In those short days the girl had changed. Or more accurately she had been forced to change from the way her eyes were looking around. She had a guess that the girl was like a computer when it came to mahjong. And here 'someone' had forced her into a new program, with new softwares giving of new information.

At least that's what how Kei perceived thing from the 'lag' her foe had some times when they were playing, mostly just before Echiya did something as she did her best to always remain even. Clearly among those 'software' were a sensing ability and her ability really depend on not being sensed, to make as everything was normal when all went haywire. Just like her own smile.

But here, on the seventh turn, she really had no time to Think. Not when Echiya was again about to win.

This time she had seen it, not from observing her play but from Haramura's. Using the others at your advantage was always a plus. And what's more this time she could really do something against it.

"Kan" She called out of Yuzuki discard. At first she had no intention to call a kan here, heck she had decided to make those north a pair for a pinfu at first , but here she had not choice.

As she drew the rinshan she saw Haramura shivered ever so slightly, Her eyes coming back into focus on Kei hand.

She had already seen it when Echiya called Kan on her wind but it seemed that the pink haired girled was particularly wary of Kan. Even so the only one that had win using one till now was the pinkette herself it was still another thing Kei could use. But here it deserved her.

So , Feigning to take time arranging her hand she let the girl to her left brace herself some seconds. Then, wishing it was enough as she couldn't take too much time without getting a penalty, she discarded the tile she had just drawn from the dead wall.

"Pon" The fluet , falsely emontioless voice came, She had caught on. Now , it remained to be seen if this would work. And if so, then would it been in her own favor?

Almost each turn that past she braced herself, hoping that none would do the wrong/wright move. On time, on the twelfth turn, she had to call a Chi out of the pink hair, sacrificing one of her own dora and cold sweat rolled down her neck when she drew, then was forced to discard a west on the fifteenth but in the end nothing happened.

Finally, one turn before the end she saw the light . "Tsumo , Chun , Dora. 1800/1000".

Ouf , they were finally out of the first east. Now she had to climb back to First place.

Even so she could still feel the pressure increasing, and didn't come from the match alone, something was brewing in the spine and it would strike soon.

...

...

They were finally at the final hand and she was still first. Sana Echiya couldn't believe it. She really would make it if things continued to go her way.

Since the beginning of the hanchan there has been an overflow of divine energy coming from somewhere in the building and it boosted her ability and relieved her from a part of the stress given by the match. And when everyone was exhausted from the strange tension which prevailed on the grounds of the tournament it also gave her the advantage of a fresher mind.

Or at least should have, as that pink-haired didn't seem to be affected at all. Forcing her on a fierce battle that she had nevertheless won, targeting the other two.

Playing outside your usual field was always tricky, but on the long run against foes of that caliber she had no choice, and it had paid off since she had a gap of 15 000 to the second place Haramura while the preceding runner up was just slightly behind her with 27 300.

The less said about Terazaki, the better as the young woman was now obviously no more than a fill in, hanging on the wall by her last two fingers.

However the game was still far from closed, and she still needed to make sure the first place came to her . And that meant she had to win that last hand, and quick.

On the fifth turn she had already collected both North Wind and South wind without needing to make any claim. But at the same time Harumura hand was going fast too, and even so it she was obviously going for a Hon/Chin itsuu on the dot tiles Arakawa's and was also coming together.

"Richi" That one, Sana had to admit, she hadn't seen it coming. Out of every on it was Terasaki who had reached tempai first.

Well , she Was the 16th finisher of last year so she ought to have some talent.

But even if it would benefice her if that one won that last hand she had her pride and wouldn't let her the win. Sana was aiming for the gold and she would gain in with her own hands.

Reading the little discards she had it was most likely a cheap tanyao, But she couldn't say more than that apart that the order of discards indicated the wait was most likely a 5678 more than a 234 at 1 at one bamboo was the first discard she had made and a 9 dot the one she had richi on.

But at that point it has been just wild guesses.

Four turns later Sana herself got to tempai. A three side waits tempai with most of them still alive. Victory was already within her grasp.

Yet, on the following turn, everything crashed down. As she was drawing her tiles she felt an incredible power rush past her, knocking out all the air in her lung.

At that moment nothing had importance anymore .She didn't feel when the tile in her fell down from her now limp hand.

"ro..n" Nor did she heard the incredulous voice of Terazaki, announcing her win on that same tile.

The score she announced didn't even register so much the shock was great. ("16 000")

In Sana's brain, nothing made sense anymore since she was a Miko, a priestess of her Wind goddess and the great-(...) grandchildren of a Montain's one, And what she had just felt was of such a magnitude that it should be impossible. It was as if death itself came back to life behind her.

Then , as the game had already wrapped up and her elimination of the tournament was registered the green haired's mind could word only one thing "How?"

On the table, a lone red Five Dot remained, the testimony of her defeat.

...

* * *

_'Am I over thinking things?' That same question had also been in Satoha's mind as her third hanchan against Kiyosumi's Captain entered its final phase._ All things considered that third Hanchan was a pretty tame one. But for some reason she couldn't find in her to calm down.

For now she was pulling ahead, but just barely as both Ranko and Sae were on her trail. Things could reverse at all moments.

But tame maybe an exaggeration, the game was in fact the calmest one she ever had. They were now at South 2 second reprise, her turn as a dealer, and for now there hadn't been even one Ron. Only tsumo.

As for call till now they weren't even one attempt at a pon. The only thing you hear during the match were the frequent Richi.

In front of her she could see Sae glaring at her hand, probably sensing she was close to tempai. On her left Nakiri Ranko was for her part concentrating on the wall, searching for any sign before discarding a Haku.

Sincerely, Satoha was tempted to call it, just to see what would happen. But the score was too close between the three of them for any fancy attempt.

She was ashamed to admit it but here she really preferred playing safely, even if no direct hit had come down. The dealer position always forced to such thing.

"Richi" Ranko called after some turns passed. Satoha stared at her own hand, dejected. In the end, that game was also one of luck. But yet she could still make it, there was no saying the good tile would come out to Nakiri either.

"Tsumo , Richi, Ipatsu. 1200/2200" Of course, who was she kidding. Since the start of that hanchan it was almost a rule, _" First to tempai win"._ As she gave her two 1000 sticks Satoha cursed herself.

She really wished she could cut into that game. But for some reason her blade refused to unsheath.

She took a peek over the scores. Usuzawa 29 600, Nakiri 30 000, Tsujigaito 30 500 ,... Miyanaga 9 900.

How could she forget. For some minutes she had completely forgotten the fourth player. The match had been so calm, so normal that it was like she wasn't even there. The brown haired-girl hadn't made the least move from the start of the hanchan apart from drawing , discarding and giving out point sticks.

Even so she was the one worrying her the most until a moment ago. She couldn't let go of that feeling that the red-eyed girl was looking deep into each of them behind her bangs, on things that even they didn't know, or didn't want to know. The girl had done nothing at all but the sheer aura she emitted hadn't diminished in the least .

With the points she had from her two precedents victories Miyanaga Saki had all but secured her spot in the quarter final. However she couldn't slack off and go below zero, the penalty would be too heavy .

And from what she knew about her Tsujigaito Satoha suspected that she was not the type of player to let a match go by. Just what was she doing there?

Yet, Satoha couldn't care less about that as she still had to protect her first position within the next two hands. Focused on her goal, Satoha got throughout her options . With that sort of hand the best she could hope for was a tanyao, pinfu . But on the bright side she was already two away from tempai so it shouldn't take too long.

The turns passed , tiles were drawn , tiles were discarded. Nothing happened.

They had to wait for the fifteenth for someone to finally make their move. "Richi" The two others sighed

Luckily for Satoha, she was the first to go in tempai this time. Yet she didn't let herself go lax for she knew it wasn't finished yet.

"Richi" Ususawa called, surpised painted on her face as she had too gotten to tempai herself.

"Richi" Nakiri too had gotten her chosen tile. And judging from her discard she had no other choice if she wished to win that round.

However , in the end nobody won that hand.

"Tempai" Her voice came, along with two others. For some time she found solace. This was Miyanaga dealership after all. If she was to do something it would have been then. She only had to win the next round and she would pass.

" sO , ThAt hoW thInG are... YeS ,I uNdErSTand nOw,... i tHinK." A deranged voice came from her right.

Not sure if really wished to confirm her suspicion, Satoha hesitated. But still she turned her head to the source of the strangely melodic voice.

It came to her that she hadn't declared her hand. She took a glimpse at the tiles in passing but they were already flipped over.

"No-ten" The voice had come back to its normal tone. But it carried the same madness. For a moment she could swear she saw her eyes glowing under the shadow of her hairs.

And that smile. She had never seen it but she recognized it from Choe's description of the Final.

Satoha was never one to be superstitious but, at that moment she knew one thing for sure. Things were about to go south for them quickly, and not even the gods could help.

For the girl was a **Monster**

...

* * *

Miyanaga Teru was delightfully watching the mornings matches when her old friend interrupted the self imposed silence that was usual in those crucial moments

" Well, I guess she still won two out of three so she is still the winner"

"What are you saying, Hehehe. She will win this one too of course" Teru answered, sparing a glance at her human friends. Really, even so she was the one with more sense she could be silly sometimes.

"... I know you have some pretty damn good confidence in yourself, what with calling you a goddess and all, but I doubt even you could come back out of that one" Yes really silly. For one, she herself would never be forced in such a situation. Contrary to her sister she didn't like to give any hope to her opponents, it would be too cruel. Secondly, even in the miracle case where it would happen, a case that would imply Saki playing against her in the least, there was nothing easier that coming back from that.

Heck even Seiko could do it if she tried. Well maybe not Seiko, but Awai certainly.

"You'll see, unfaithful friend, that there is nothing more trivial than that to her. I know she will win, what interests me is how the others'll take the blow."

"But.." her friend started her answer, but something held her back.

Teru knew what, she had felt it too, but it shouldn't happen, Not here at least. And people like Sumire were not sensible generally.

"Waaa.." After some second with her brain stoped, Sumire finally regained consciousness " What was thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"That, my friend, is the reason I booked a hotel on the other side of the city when we have a private room at the venue" Teru deadpaned, as if it was obvious.

"... I do not understand, Teru-Sama, What could you mean" Sumire got along with her tone, more out of instinct that any real wish to go with the joke.

" What I mean is that You should call for a team of exorscist to go at the tournament venue, Because everyone there just got hit by a wave a spiritual power released by The awakening Goddess of Death, Earth and Life. And that if my hunch is right , now she knows"

"... You're not serious ... right?" Sumire pleaded, her voice quivering.

"I have never been so serious" Teru stared into her friend's eyes, serious.

Then, when she was sure she had gotten the point across she turn back to the TV , and, considering her sister's hand, smiled the same smile her sister had some second ago. _' Now, I just have to wait for the memories to come back. '_

" I hope she won't kill them though, that would be a shame" That was Miyanaga Teru earnest wish, as a traumatism could still stop her sister awakening at that stage, as it had 10 years ago.

Once more Sumire , knowing that she wouldn't like the answer, chose to stop the conversation here.

...

* * *

In the venue, there was not one soul which had not felt the call. But none reacted the same way. Some were attacked by a mild headache, some saw their life pass before their eyes, some even collapsed to the ground or on their chair.

In that lone moment spirit of all kinds appeared for one second , their world mingling with ours.

...

Atago Hiroe , still in her match for the first place against Mekaru profited of the temporal loss her enemy senses to close her trap, as she shouted her win she did not see that her hand had already revealed itself.

Still, even she was affected as she found herself unable to get up , her legs gone limp. For the first time she wished she had listened to her sister and slept early.

...

Shimizudani Ryuuka still had some go around to finish her game, and with a first and a second place , exaeco with Shirozu Mairu , she had to use every means in her possession to take the win .

So, on her last dealership she had called her little 'pillow goddess' .But as the way started to show before her eyes Toki disappeared , washed over by a wave of flower that hide the road.

Such a shock It was that she would not fidgeting until she got back to her room and saw the worried, sickly face of her friend.

...

In front of her, Mairu was herself having an attack of panic. For some reason she suddenly wanted to be with Himeko , to reassert their 'friendship'.

At that same moment the truth of the matter came to her , she was doomed. Tomorrow she would fall, there was no doubt about it for finishing first today meant going against The champion, the purple-haired monster would obviously win her match, and she was not ready to go against her once more.

Meanwhile Finishing second meant going against Miyanaga Saki and face something even more terrifying. _'Why am I here again?'_

_..._

Inside the waiting room Amae Koromo was ecstatic, like a pet that had just found its master.

While everyone was trying to cope with a wave of unknown sensation she was just plain happy. All of her earlier worry about her friend had just vanished. Saki knew, that was the real meaning behind the commotion in the building.

But at the same time Koromo was angry. Angry at all those peon who couldn't even endure a little bit of pressure if it was to assist to the beautiful spectacle that was unfolding before their eyes. Saki's realized hadn't killed any but if they didn't stop moving like that she was going to do it, for god's sake.

...

When Takei , formerly Ueno, Hisa felt the familiar power wash over her she was conflicted. On one hand she was happy that her underclassmen was growing on her own for that aura belong without a doubt to the awakening little princess of their school .

But on the other she was insanely worried. Such a monumental dose of energy wouldn't be beneficial for anyone .

She herself had experimented 6 nights near such an infusion of power and there was no questioning she had already been irremediably changed. Now, an even greater dose had been given out to each person in the building.

Seing as she couldn't move an inch right now, even as her lover was mumbling in her arms there was no doubting there would be an aftershock. _'Am I Overthinking thing?' _ That question imposed on her mind. After all , no one was mad enough to search after a Goddess.

...

Jindai Komoki was in the shrine building, doing her prayers to the nine goddesses she hosted when felt it and went asleep. But even if she hadn't the sight of the hotel just after would have been enough. Even so, when she awoke she just got back to her prayer, she had to focus after all. Yet they had been tears in her eyes.

...

Awai Ooshi , like her two sempai, had her match this afternoon .

But, contrary to them, she did not wish to see their mornings match since _she_ was playing and Awai knew she was 100 years too early before being able to face her again, even if it was before a screen.

Such was the traumatism she had suffered on that day. Now she had even trouble to approach her beloved Teru-sempai .

Before she had never truly understood the difference between herself and Teru but in the game against her little sister she had understood the distance between them. So while they were watching , Awai was quietly eating her sweet in one of the bedrooms.

And just as almost everyone in the city she felt Saki's aura washed over her, and all those images came back. All she could do was muffle her shouts and cry under her pillow .

Whoever was facing her nightmare now, Awai sincerely pitied them for she knew what they were 'seeing' would remain engraved in them for ever.

...

Fukuji Mihoko had felt it too , and just as each of her fellow victims she started crying, living again the preceding day as if happened again . She knew the girl didn't mean any harm to her, she could even call her a friend. But here, in the arms of her loved one, she couldn't help but remember that Saki wasn't human, by any meaning of the word.

The cause of her trauma was a living, breathing disaster waiting to be unleashed. But also a being that had known pain like no other. Mihoko wanted to flee , far. But at the same time , just as her lover, she couldn't let such a being alone. Not after what she had showed them. _' How can It be?'_

As she tried to calm herself Mihoko looked into Hisa's eyes and so the same fright and pain, a reflection of her own. But at the same time she saw determination.

They had lived those six sleepless nights together, and they saw the changes they had brought. They could probably go on a little longer.

...

"Please, Not again. I don't want to... I beg of you... I just can't... Not those visions again " That was the shout of Myong Fa as the wave hit the boarding house from Rinkai highschool.

She was alone inside, the others were all at the tournament cheering for Satoha but she couldn't go. She had given every help she could from her own experience against the ... girl? But she couldn't yet face her.

Not after what she had witnessed on that day. She had given it her all but going against her was just as trying to deny that she was alive and would die someday. That is to say an insanity inducing nightmare.

After she had finally awoken two days before she had believed she was finally out of it. But here she was forced to live trough it once again, even if it was merely an illusion.

"Please ... Make it stop! I can't do anything"

Then just as quickly as they had come, they stopped and Choe fell down on her bed, shivering on her slowly wetting pillow.

...

* * *

The last hand of the eight of final started. It was her last chance do get her victory and mayhaps go further in the tournament so she took no turn away. It was risky but with what hanged in the balance she had no choice. So , as if her life depended on it Sae glared at Miyanaga Saki's hands all the while she was drawing her own.

It was tiring but Her earlier declaration made it clear that she was about to make her move, after nearly a full match of perfect calm the beast was going out of her hole.

And because she was glaring she was the first to take note of it. The girl had not even looked at her tiles, she had just plucked them . Once they all had drawn Miyanaga Saki had 13 tiles like everyone but each of them were face down, unseen by all, even their owner.

Seriously, what was that girl thinking? Sae had a really bad feeling about it.

And it didn't get better when she took in her own hand. Usually she would have been overjoyed with such a hand, after all she was already in Tempai For a respectable Tanyao, sanshoku. She just had to get rid of the 1 Bamboo and let the game take its course.

But even so, it was far too onimous after what had happened previously.

Even so, she could let pass such a chance to win as the first one to finish it's hand would be declared winner. The three richi sticks next to her ensured it.

So, after checking her options once more and observing each of her opponents' face she choose to take the bait.

Moving slowly, she placed her discard, turning it to the side. "Richi, I guess"

All the while she had been staring at Miyanaga eyes, waiting for a reaction. But she got nothing, Nothing but that sickening smile.

...

_"Ichii..."_

...

Ranko was the next to play, and just like Usuzawa she didn't like what was before her at all. Just how some could draw a hand like that was out of her reasoning possibility. This was a question of how much someone could make a statistician cry somewhere.

4Dot*4, 4Bamboo*4, 4Character*4 Haku*2.

It was and hand out of your worst nightmare for some as superstitious as Nakiri. So much so that she was about to cry, tears already forming in the corner of her eyes.

Here she had three choices .Go for the obvious choice of discarding a Haku, which could really well be a trap. Discarding one of the four bamboo , going on with the 1 bamboo already discarded, which was as much of a risk. Or going for the Kans and try to wreck havoc in Miyanaga Saki's territory. Which was just pure suicide if one read the records of her precedent games.

After taking all the time she could in order to think she chose to discard the 4 Bamboo, as it was the middle choice, not too obvious but not a self kill move either.

As her hand extended she noticed one thing however. Miyanaga Saki's tiles weren't yet turned up.

And she was gently smiling at her with her eyes caught in her own reflection.

...

_".. Shi.."_

...

Then Satoha's came. Like the other she had already seen that Miyanaga hadn't touched her tiles yet. And like them , she was apprehending the girl every move. That first Year has been just too much of a mystery for her.

But , as the other she also knew that the little hand could permit to seize the final victory.

However she hadn't had the same luck Usuzawa had to draw a Tempai from the start. She just had an average starting hand, nothing remarkable in it at all but it's clear lack of any Honors.

But Satoha was a digital player to the core, even if she had learned to deal with all but the fiercer occult one by doing some out of character move. So here in this place , she would bet it all with her usual style.

At the edge of her hand was a lone Nine Bamboo, with no link whatsoever with any of her other tiles. This would do fine for her first discard.

With all the assurance she could muster , she discarded it fiercely on the table.

As the others , Satoha couldn't help but look for any reaction from the living madness at her side.

And she caught one, the girl had said a lone word.

...

_"...Kyu"_

* * *

Kyouko had seen a lot of weirdness in her life as mahjong commentator, and Starting with her best friend Sukoyan she had seen a lot of players that were obviously out of her grasp.

Yeah 'her grasp', for she was a player herself , albeit occasional. She hid it from Sukoya but when she was in high school she was herself in a mahjong club. But she had quit it the year she saw her won the tournament and decided to go for a journalistic career.

But even after Ten years she could say without a doubt That Miyanaga Saki was the first when it came to inexplicable play and foe destruction. In general she seemed a reserved girl, But when she played she became a monster that seemed to feed on the soul of her victim.

If , as some player said , playing against Koromo was like playing against Fate itself , and playing against Teru was as the Sun that saw through your Shadow then Saki was the Grim reaper , luring you in the garden of irremediable death. You could do anything, you would be playing to her tune.

"Say , Sukoyan, I wonder what she is thinking, not even looking to her tiles. " She asked to her long friend and best player of Japan.

She hadn't really wished for a precise answer, she just wanted to alleviate the tension she was feeling by just looking at the girl throughout the Tv. But the answer was a cryptic one.

"Bless be the ones who don't know, For it mean they are still safe from them.

But curse be them for they don't know acknowledge our sufferings.

Cursed are the ones who know, For they will suffer from the meaning of their knowledge.

Yet Blessed are the ones who know for at least they won't die for ignoring it."

"... What was that , Sukoyan , you scare me" Really , her friend could become creepy sometimes when it came to the subject of gifted players.

" Nothing at all, Kyouko-chan, Nothing at all. As for her though , In would just say that she does not need to see them... Perhaps. As Uta-chan says , 'I Don't Know', hehe."

Truly, her friend was as much of a mystery to her as Miyanaga Saki was to the rest of the world. And she seemed to have an unhealthy interest to the young player if she was to believe the fact that she was the one to insist they got to each of her matches, going to length to insure she could see them all in direct.

_'I Hope I am Overthinking'_

* * *

Saki was literally ecstatic. Even her foes had acknowledged her. Why else would they have discarded those tiles , declaring to all her affinity, even in their cooperation.

_'Bamboo no Ichi, Painting the bird of Life.'_

_'IchiiShi' (Stone)_

_'Bamboo no **Shi**, the number of **Death**.' _

_'Shikyu' (Womb)_

_'Bamboo no Kyu, The forest, the element of Earth comes to life'_

It had taken her the whole hanchan to unfold that lone truth about herself but they had already acknowledged her even before she had the confirmation. Truly, she was moved.

So moved in fact that all around her the plants that littered that room came to bloom , growing more that they even should.

But still she had to take her claim, for her sister wouldn't have it any other way.

She extended her hand, noting that every soul in the building was holding its breath as she did so.

And then, with the loudest Voice she could without defaming someone she shouted her victory , tapping lightly the tile in her hand against the table, making the whole building shake.

"Chihou, Dai Suu Shi, Suu Ankou, Tsuuiisou, Yakuman, 16 000/ 8 000" She hadn't even touched her tiled but they turn around on themselves, showing she was more that right.

Adding to the already revealed West were two other, along with three iterations of each the Winds tile. And to complement them, Two lone white tiles.

Not even waiting for the judge to declare the match ended she got up. " Thank you for the match" She bowed, waiting for the other to move.

But none of them did, contemplation still in their eyes.

As she left the room, she didn't notice the stream of tears that came down their eyes, nor the pass of flower that bloom out of the stone and her pass, withering once she was out.

* * *

Thank for reading.

Please review, if you have any question about what's happening, complain or even if you just like/ don't like. It has helped to boost my mood for writing, even so I am lazy.

A/N As for the Japaneses , I looked up if IchiShi and ShiKyu meant something and find out they were both related to either Earth or Life , so I couldn't pass it up.

And Sukoya monologue is creepy yes, But if you look at her face and the background during Harue's flashback I think it fit.

Fragment of Ring


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